My Fair Weasley
by CakeTwins
Summary: Poor Draco... his slightly dim mother is throwing him a huge birthday bash, and the Weasleys are invited. What looks like a major mishap may turn to his advantage in the long run... Rated PG-13 for mild language and romance in later chapters. UPDATED 4110
1. A party in the making

**Disclaimer:** I do not own ANY of these Harry Potter characters, settings, etc. - all of that is property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros., and other affiliates, except for Tony Leoni and any other original characters you notice… Bitsy is strictly property of the Book 5 Chapter 1 thread on the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Dialogue Boards. The general plot is owned by…well, I don't know WHO My Fair Lady should be owned by, since it's based on Pygmalion, so… it's not mine! 

**Author's Note: **This is my first Ginny/Draco attempt… but I love these two together and what could be better than a My Fair Lady twist? (Note- this is NOT exactly like My Fair Lady… I only based the story line on it.) Rated PG-13 for mild language and later chapters.

            Draco knew that his mother would go all out for his twentieth birthday party- she'd always longed to throw big, ritzy parties, but his father disliked that many people wandering about their darkly furnished home. Narcissa couldn't care less about the Dark Arts- she really had no idea of the extent to which her husband practiced them- which was one of the reasons that he married her. All she wanted was to satisfy her thirst for good social standing and a lavish lifestyle. Draco had to admit to himself that she wasn't the brightest thing to grace Britain with her presence.

            His father, once Draco was born, really couldn't be bothered with Narcissa anymore; the entire point of their marriage was to produce an heir, after all. Of course, he couldn't ignore her _completely_- he took her out to social events and such, but mostly left her to herself, with a few rules, of course.

            No parties were to be thrown without his knowledge, or approval of the guest list. Lucius especially disliked this one passion of his wife's, but if he couldn't stop it, at least he could regulate it. Since she had virtually no knowledge of his dark dealings, it wasn't safe to trust her choice of guests. She was also allowed minimal time with Draco- Lucius couldn't risk her daftness seeping into the boy's mind, and couldn't trust the youngster with keeping secrets from his mother.

            Because of this, Draco grew up under the care of varied servants, and saw mostly his father. To tell the truth, he had never really been interested in any of the Dark Arts that his father had impressed upon him at such an early age. He had fully intended to drop any association with the sneaky, conniving friends of his father's as soon as he was on his own. Dumbledore, however, and that prat Potter had taken care of that for him already.

            Voldemort had been defeated over two years ago, and Draco was finally free to live his life to HIS standards. Granted, he wasn't your average boy-scout figure like Potter, but he wasn't plotting against the Ministry of Magic or anything either. He supposed that he owed some of his freedom to Potter and his friends, but he didn't want to. He'd never cared for them, and not because of Potter's victory over Voldemort. Draco sincerely disliked those who weren't up to his level of intelligence, (which he felt was everyone) and tended to hold grudges. Those who bothered themselves with trivial matters instead of studying psychology, theology, and all of those intriguing subjects irritated him. True, many of the topics were Muggle, but Draco simply didn't care for most Muggles because of their extreme ignorance. He knew that he was being harsh, and that his Malfoy temper was prone to set him off, even if the person in question merely disagreed with him on the subject of Freud or Socrates, but he couldn't help himself. He disliked being labeled as a Dark Lord supporter so much that it turned him against those who weren't on Voldemort's side. If they were too stupid to see past the façade, let them find out in due time.

            Draco had to drag his bitter thoughts back to the present. He had never had many friends, but that was about to change; his mother was hosting her first extravagant salon since his father's imprisonment, in honor of Draco's birthday.

            "No, Mother, we don't need to release doves when the cake is cut…" Honestly, it was beginning to sound more like a wedding than a birthday.

            "Oh, but Draco, darling-"

            "Why don't we go over the guest list again?" Draco hurriedly suggested, as his mother started to pout, wrinkling her brow complainingly. She brightened at once.

            "Oh! Alright then! Here you are darling- all senior Ministry official invited of course, and most of their families as well- Ernest Dunkle's two children, well, they're a tad _destructive_, and Eliza Fink's husband is rather mad. Many of my own friends are on here, and of course you may invite whomever you wish. The school board and Albus Dumbledore will be invited, naturally- this will be such a splendid party, and people as prominent as they should not be forgotten…" She handed the long roll of parchment to Draco, pointing to names on the list as she spoke.

            "Thank you Mother, I'll look over it now. Why don't you go back to planning the decorations? Just- no doves, for Merlin's sake!" Draco rose, kissed his mother on the cheek, and strode briskly through the gardens back to the Manor.

            Once in his study, he called Bitsy and ordered her to bring him something to eat.

            "And something to drink, while you're at it- but don't make it too strong, I have to be able to attend to business tonight." He dismissed the house-elf, and examined the list. The Ministry officials were at the top, written in his mother's elegant script. He scanned the names:

            Cornelius Fudge and guest (the minister had never remarried after the death of his wife)

Ludovic Bagman and guest

            Percival Weasley and guest 

            'Weasley? That stuffed shirt? What did he do now?' Draco thought to himself, before recalling that he was the Associate Junior Assistant Minister of Magic- slaving his way up, no doubt, Draco snickered, and read through dozens of Ministry names before another caught his eye.

            Arthur Weasley and family

            Draco was not happy. He had never liked the Weasleys- not because they were poor Muggle-lovers, as everyone thought, but because they'd let his father win. (Not to mention the fact that their children annoyed the hell out of him…) Arthur Weasley was a decent enough fellow, but Draco couldn't stand the fact that he'd allowed Lucius Malfoy to ruin his life the way that he had. He'd have to speak to his mother about that "and family" part… those Weasley children were just so _irritating_- so…good and honorable, to the point of being sickening, just like Potter. (Who, Draco had noticed, had also been invited= no one could ignore the hero of the free world…) The twins, (what were their names?) Frank and Gerald-no, Fred and George, that was it-they were all right, but Draco couldn't stand the whole lot of them together- one big mass of red hair and freckles. He'd have to have his mother change their invitation.

            "Absolutely not!" Narcissa Malfoy exclaimed, horrified. "Arthur Weasley is a VERY prominent member of the Ministry, and a close friend of Albus Dumbledore! We simply cannot insult him by not inviting his family!" Draco scowled. "And I expect you to be CIVIL to them, Draco…"

            "Yes, Mother…" he muttered, and in his bad temper, went to harass Bitsy for some food.

**Author's Note: While this story is published under the name of CakeTwins, my partner Carrie, who is co-writing Puddlemere (go read!) with me, is not in any way involved in the production of this story…**


	2. And so it begins

**Author's Note: Zoe! Nancy! Thanks for reviewing… (knew you would at least, sistah deah) Erm… if your name is Penelope…which I'm sure it IS, then of _course _you get Percy in my story! ;) Okay- Here's where the story starts to move along a little bit! Woohoo!**

            One month later, the cream colored invitations had been written out in the sapphire blue of the Malfoy crest, sealed, and sent. The ballroom had been dressed in all of its finery, and Draco had tried on robe, after robe, after robe, until his mother decided on the perfect one. Men were required to wear dress robes, women gowns. ("They're SO much more flattering," his mother had exclaimed.)

            Draco had to admit that he was grateful for all of the etiquette lessons that he'd been forced to take when he was younger- so many important witches and wizards would be present, that Draco would need to use proper behavior. Besides, he suspected that his mother wanted to set him up with the daughter of some prominent family, and he wouldn't want to offend them by rudely declining- he ought to be able to refuse graciously. After all, he was a Malfoy, and had a certain reputation to uphold.

            The evening of the salon was clear and cool, and fancy carriages, carrying guests from their apparation points to the doors of the Manor, were rolling gently along the drive. Draco watched 'his' guests from a fourth-floor balcony, before his mother called him.

            "Draco! Come down here and greet your guests!" He sighed, wished himself luck, smoothed back his silky blonde hair, and sauntered down the stairs.

            His mother, in a beautiful gown made of emerald silk, was standing by the door, chatting sociably with the Minister of Magic.

            "Ah! There's the lad!" Fudge exclaimed, beaming at Draco. Draco smiled back coldly. The man had always been after the family's money, but while his father had dealt with him icily and only when need be, Narcissa Malfoy wasn't sharp enough to realize that Cornelius Fudge was only smarming up to her for her fortune.

            "Glad you could make it, Minister," Draco's smooth voice covered his contempt as he waved the Minister into the ballroom.

            He didn't know how long he stood there, greeting people as they came, but it felt like an eternity. It was all the same thing- "Why, thank you sir! Ma'am, you look so lovely; this way please"- until the Weasleys showed up. Percy had arrived pompously with his fiancée, Penelope Clearwater, separate from the family. The rest of them, however, crowded into the doorway, making a blur of red in a sea of black overcoats and cloaks. Harry Potter, of course, had accompanied them, and had brought his friend Hermione Granger as his guest. Draco sneered them through the door, fond of none of them.

            What caught his eye, however, was the youngest Weasley- Ginny, that was her name. How old was she now? 19? 18? Somewhere around there. It wasn't so much her looks which drew his eye to her (although she did stand out in a coffee-colored satin dress, with her hair swept up gracefully) as it was her attitude. The doorman had flung the large carved doors of the Manor open just as ceremoniously as he had for any of the other guests, but instead of grandly striding through, Ginny stopped, smiled, and thanked the man before continuing. The doorman, startled, nodded in reply and closed the doors before a draft could blow in. Draco almost laughed at the look on the doorman's face, but really had a hard time holding it in when Herman, their butler, attempted to take her coat. He was impeccably dressed, of course, (all of the Malfoys' help was) and Draco understood that for someone not used to such affairs, it might be easy to mistake him for a guest. Still, Herman had a considerable load of coats draped over one arm, and Ginny, having seen one of the maids hanging them in a large closet off the foyer, simply took a few and hung them up herself before rejoining her family.

            After Ginny hung up the coats, (on the most beautiful polished wooden hangers) she quickly shuffled back to her family, trying not to trip on her long skirt. The Malfoys were standing at the entrance to the ballroom, graciously receiving their guests. Ginny lagged behind her brother (only Ron had come) and parents, gaping at the grand marble staircase which curved up six stories, each with an elegant balcony overlooking the huge foyer.

            "Well well, Ms. Weasley, _so pleased you to have you here tonight," Ginny heard a sneering voice, and looked up to see Draco Malfoy, her brother's school enemy and the cause of the party looking down at her solemnly. No, not solemn, his blue-grey eyes were laughing. _At what?_She thought irritably._

            "Only too…_happy _to be here, Mister Malfoy," she snapped, and turned swiftly to drag her eyes away from those ocean-colored ones. She would NOT let him spoil this experience for her.

            Ginny gasped as she entered the ballroom. If she thought the carriage ride and the foyer were marvelous, then the ballroom was simply heaven. Easily as large, or larger, than the Great Hall at Hogwarts, the massive room was lit brightly by dozens of twinkling chandeliers. Velvet curtains, in rich golden tones, pooled gracefully beneath the gigantic windows on which they draped.

            _And they call this a manor? Ginny thought, _More like palace…If this is a manor, then I'm Cleopatra!__

            Someone appeared at her elbow. It was Ron, looking flushed and irritated. 

            "Hey Gin- what did Malfoy say to you? You didn't look so happy."

            "Oh, it was nothing Ron, I-"

            "Because if he insulted you, I swear I'll bash his head in- I don't care if it _is his freaking birthday, I'll push him off his fourth-floor bal-"_

            "Ron! They probably have secret service here or something!"

            "Well, listen, I'm going over there with Hermione, okay? If he bothers you again, you just-"

            "_Go Ron!" Ginny laughed, and pushed him away gently._

            She looked around the room (if it could be called that) and recognized many prominent figures, famous athletes, the Minister of Magic, and lots of well-to-do witches and wizards. Ginny looked down at her plain brown dress, and hoped that the burn on the right side of the bodice wasn't too noticeable- she'd been fixing a rip (the dress was secondhand) and Ron had knocked over her candle. It didn't show too much if she kept that arm down…

            This whole…_party_ was a surreal experience for her. Never had she thought that her family would be considered "high society". Never had she imagined that she'd be _invited to the Malfoy Manor- once the headquarters of the Dark Lord, now hosting the most extravagant party to be seen in years. She was a little unnerved by the whole deal, and excused herself from Penelope and Percy, who had been introducing her to some senior Ministry officials._

            Ginny approached the long table of wine and appetizers, looking at all of the fancy and mouth-watering food with wide eyes. Most of this she couldn't even name-she decided to be safe, and grabbed a handful of mixed nuts from a large crystal bowl.

            Draco watched the youngest Weasley walk into the ballroom, stop, look around, and gaze up in awe at the ceiling. He smirked proudly, knowing the Weasleys had never experienced anything like this. He greeted a few more guests, and finally, his mother laid a hand on his arm.

            "Draco darling, it's time to go in. Let's mingle a bit, and then we can start the celebration." Draco smiled at her, offered her his arm, and ushered her into the ballroom, where they were immediately swamped by adoring Ministry members trying to get on the good side of the Malfoy family. He suffered through the painfully dull conversations before he spotted Ginny Weasley again. She was standing by her brother and some other people, bashfully smoothing her dress. He saw her look around again, with wide eyes, then excuse herself and head for the food tables.

            "Excuse me Mother, Minister," Draco interrupted. "but I must go introduce myself to some of our less privileged guests," He locked eyes with the Minister of Magic, who had brought his mother champagne, and was yet again telling her how ravishing she looked. Draco saw his jovial smile falter, as he received the lethal Malfoy glare, and politely excused himself.

            "Keep your grubby hands off my mother and her money," Draco muttered through gritted teeth as he wove his way towards the food.


	3. Mind Your Manners

**Author's Note:** Okay! Let's get the story moving a bit here… J Thanks for the reviews everyone!!! _Alexa, Nikoda_- I'm so glad you like it! This is my first Draco/Ginny story.. keep reading! _Arienell- What will he say? What will she say? Read on to find out… ;) (and there's nothing wrong with D/G fics being your life… hehehe) __Slytherineyz11- here's the update you wanted! __ZOE! YOU CAN HAVE HIM!!! __Noncí? Of course she's gracious…she's a WEASLEY!_

            Ginny was there as he expected, but just as at the door, she had no idea how to behave. At any elite gathering, the buffet tables were staffed- you pointed out what you wanted, and were served. This young lady simply looked at the food, and took a handful of the carefully arranged nuts; infuriating the kitchen help who had already been yelled at for placing the pecans on the wrong side of the bowl.

            "_Excuse me Miss, but you-"_

            "That's quite alright, Olivia," Draco interrupted, stepping forward. "Miss Weasley here is not used to our way of doing things." Ginny glared up at him.

            "And just what is _that _supposed to mean, Mister Malfoy?" Draco grinned as her eyes flashed.

            "Nothing beyond what I said, naturally." Draco raised one eyebrow. "Surely you wouldn't assume that I meant to insult one of my invited guests?" He noticed a few people starting to watch as she glared even more fiercely and crossed her arms.

            "I don't know what exactly you _meant _to do, Malfoy, but I certainly wouldn't put it beneath you to-" Flushing every so slightly, Draco grabbed her elbow and dragged her into a corner, away from the crowd that had been watching. "Get off of me!"She jerked out of his reach. Draco held up his hands in submission.

            "Alright, I won't touch you if you don't want me to, but this is a very classy salon- we have a reputation to uphold here, and there are certain basic rules of behavior." Ginny flushed a deep scarlet.

            "Such as?"

            "Rule number one-" Draco smirked. "- let the servants do their jobs, for Christ's sake! If you don't, it only brings you down in the eyes of others…" Draco paused, studying her face.

            "Since when were you concerned with the standing of others?" she blurted out.

            "…and makes it appear as if our help is incapable of doing their jobs," he finished. Her face, which had at first been surprised, clouded over.

            "Oh, I see- you can't have anything ruin your spotless social status, can you? Good night, _Mister _Malfoy." Ginny strode off into the crowd. 

            Draco followed.

            "I wasn't finished," he announced, stepping in front of her and blocking her path as she tried to skirt around him.

            "I honestly couldn't give a shit Malfoy, now if you'll please excuse me, I-"

            "Tsk tsk… such language. I'm sure your family wouldn't be happy to hear you speaking to the Birthday Boy in such an impolite way."

            "Wanna bet? You know what my family thinks of you!" Ginny couldn't believe him. Even if he wasn't involved with the Dark Arts, he was still a jerk. "Let me GO, Malfoy! Stop being such an ass!" Ginny hadn't realized how loudly she'd shouted that in her frustration, until several heads turned to stare. She mentally cursed herself as she heard a gasp from behind her.

            "Miss Weasley! Draco, darling, what IS going on?" Narcissa Malfoy emerged from the crowd, the Minister of Magic right behind her.

**Author's Note: **Oooh I know..a terrible cliffie… mwahaha…Aren't I evil? LOL! Don't worry, there'll be another chapter up tomorrow! Love you all! MWAH!


	4. Animal Magnetism

**Author's Note: Oooh so I know the last chapter was painfully short… sorry about that! I had limited time to type it yesterday, and I wanted to end it there, so just suffer through it… ;) On a brighter note, here's another chapter! (And Zoe, the letter was…just…_so _eloquent… J )**

            _Did the man even bring a guest? Draco wanted to throttle the Fudge when he saw him hanging on his mother's every word, following her around…_

            "It's not a problem, Mother. The young Miss Weasley and I were simply having a discussion- you may go back to your business." His cold eyes flicked to the Minister's face and back again.

            "Not a problem?" Ginny half-shrieked. "The problem is that you keep-"

            "Virginia Abigail Weasley!" Now people really _were _staring. Draco honestly could not hate the Weasley's more at this point. He'd actually been enjoying himself- Ginny had spirit, and that in itself made her more intriguing than most of the stiffs in the place. But then her family had to get involved.

            "Virginia, what _are _you doing?" Ron Weasley, accompanied by Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, came pushing through the crowd. Most of the chatter around the room had died down by this point. Ginny was blushing a deep red, looking absolutely horrified at the scene that she'd caused. Draco shot daggers at the older Weasley, who looked him up and down in disgust.

            "Ron, it's nothing, just…"

            "Nothing?" Now it was Ron's turn to be indignant. "I told you, if the bastard bothered you again, I'd maim him!" Mrs. Malfoy gasped again.

            "I appreciate the sentiment, Weasley, but as you can see, Miss Weasley is neither harmed nor terribly upset, so perhaps it would be better if-" Draco made an attempt to break up the situation before it caused his family more embarrassment.

            "_Ronald Coddington Weasley!" A shrill, very loud voice sounded, and a short, plump, __very angry-looking woman stampeded into the area. Draco recognized her as Mrs. Weasley- nothing like his own elegant mother- she was dressed in a slightly poofy purple dress, carried a large handbag on her shoulder, and looked quite intelligent, despite her anger. "What on _earth _do you think you're doing, causing a scene like this?" And before Ron could respond, she had him by the ear and was dragging him outside. "…SO sorry Mrs. Malfoy- never had much in the way of manners, this one… enjoy the party, Virginia- we'll be back in a bit!" The crowd chuckled, no harm was done; and dispersed again._

            Fudge escorted Narcissa Malfoy to the front of the room so that she could officially begin the birthday. Draco turned to go, but Gin- _Virginia Weasley was standing there._

            "What do you want _now_, Weasel?" He growled.

            "I'm sorry I caused such a scene," she sputtered, still pink. "I don't really know what to think of you- you're not what you were when we were in school, and well… I suppose even a Malfoy can change." She hesitated, then stuck out her hand in apology. Draco almost grinned at her feeble apology, but caught himself. He took her hand and kissed it lightly, staring into her eyes with a devilish look.

            "Apology accepted- _Virginia." He winked and turned to go, as she watched him wide-eyed. Sure, her brother was a moron, but members of the opposite sex never got under his skin that way._

            After Malfoy had gone, Ginny stared at her hand. She couldn't stand the jerk- he was so conceited and condescending! But then, why had she tingled when his lips barely brushed her hand?

            "Chock it up to animal magnetism," she muttered, shaking herself, and went to watch his mother speak.

            Narcissa Malfoy was standing in the front of the room, flanked by her son and the Minister of Magic. (What was his deal, anyway? He was always hanging around her…) A hush fell over the room, and Mrs. Malfoy stepped forward. She looked beautiful; her long blonde hair cascaded over her back, and he emerald earrings caught the light.

            "Welcome, dear friends and guests. As you all know, the purpose of this salon is to honor my wonderful son Draco, on his twentieth birthday." The crowd clapped as she motioned Draco forward, and he graciously inclined his head to acknowledge the crowd. Ginny thought that his eyes looked cold and dark, despite his ravishing smile. "I'd like to propose a toast…" Narcissa Malfoy motioned for the guests to take a glass of champagne, and started to speak. Ginny looked around for a servant carrying a tray.

            "Here," said someone at her side. She turned quickly to see a tall, dark-haired young man with a charming smile holding a glass for her.

            "Oh! Thank you!" Ginny flushed slightly. He was quite attractive.

            "It's my pleasure. I am Anthony Leoni, by the way." Another charming grin. Ginny felt her heart drop a few inches. 

            "Virginia Weasley," she said, smiling, and held her hand out. "Nice to meet you, Anthony."

            "Call me Tony," he replied, looking into her eyes; he took her hand and kissed it, just as Draco had done. If Ginny hadn't been so lost in that smile, she might have noticed how his touch didn't send a shock through her body the way Draco's had done.

            They made some quiet small talk while Cornelius Fudge gave a speech. (Draco looked frankly murderous.) Ginny discovered that Tony was the son of the Italian Minister of Magic, Ricardo Leoni, whose wife was a good friend of Narcissa Malfoy. He, of course, was used to such events as these, and made her feel quite comfortable and glamorous, standing there chatting with her glass of champagne.

            An orchestra started to play shortly after the speeches, and dancing started. Tony asked if she would care to accompany him to the floor, and for the first time, Ginny was glad that her mother had made her take those six years of ballroom dancing lessons.

            Maybe the night would improve after all.


	5. She could have danced all night

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who keeps reading and reviewing! You're giving me the motivation I need to get this lazy ass up and keep writing… lol! Annoying Little Bella Mafia- first of all….GREAT name, second of all, I'm glad you love my story, and I will most definitely keep writing! LOL! Nancy- you zip that lip or I'll chock you up! ;) Jenni- I know… his sheer animal magnetism gets to me too… *shiver* Zoe- … I just don't even know what to say to you anymore… *shakes head* lol! Enjoy all!

            Draco worked hard to cover his scowl as Cornelius Fudge escorted his mother onto the dance floor. He worked even harder to hide it when he was introduced to airhead daughter, after airhead daughter, by their well-to-do fathers. At this point, he was really longing to run to his room and curl up with some good Shakespeare or such, but his mother caught his eye, glaring, and he knew that he'd have to face the music.

            Sighing, he smiled stunningly at the next girl he was introduced to, and led her to the dance floor. The girl was pretty enough- tall, with long, wavy black hair tied back loosely, and stunning blue eyes- but great _Scot was she a bore! Athella Copper, that was her name, and her father was one of Britain's largest wand-wood suppliers. Draco spent what felt like hours listening to her babble about how lovely the ballroom looked, how exquisite the hors d'oeuvres were, and so on. When she began to comment on the tastefulness of the dress requirements, Draco ended the dance._

            "Perhaps you'd care to dance with my mother?" He quietly muttered, as another silly piece of fluff was practically pushed into his arms. He spent a good part of the night suffering through dull dances, each time wanting more and more to hang himself from one of the chandeliers.

            Then he saw Virginia Weasley. She was dancing with someone, but he couldn't tell who it was. Draco was only about thirty feet away from her, but she didn't notice him. She actually had skill at dancing, and seemed to be enjoying herself. This seriously annoyed him. _He _couldn't have fun at his own birthday party, and here was the little Weasel dancing and having a good time. The couple turned, allowing Draco to recognize the young man with whom Ginny was dancing.

            Tony Leoni! (A/N: doesn't that sound like some sort of exclamation? LOL! Holy Tony Leoni!) Why, they'd known each other since they were kids- Tony's mother and Draco's were quite close. How had he gotten his hands on Weasley? Signori Leoni usually monitored very closely who his son came into contact with.

            Just then, Cornelius Fudge shuffled up to Draco and clapped him on the shoulder. Draco would have to remember to have these robes steamed.

            "Well my boy, enjoying yourself, are you? Good, good. Your mother's done a fabulous job of organizing this whole event- looks absolutely stunning tonight, doesn't she?" Much as Draco hated to hear it from the portly Minister, he had to admit that she did. Smiling slightly, he ran his fingers through his fine hair.

            "Our family has good genes."

            Ginny had been dancing with Tony most of the night. She'd even introduced him to Ron, who scowled but bit his tongue as Hermione quietly whispered something in his ear. (Ginny would have to remember to thank her later.) Tony had taken her to meet his mother, a tiny, curvaceous woman with gorgeous olive skin and incredibly long black hair. 

            Now, as she danced, she realized that she hadn't seen or heard anything from Draco Malfoy in at least an hour.

            _Good, she thought, __he's decided to leave me and my crude manners alone. Just then, a couple dancing in front of them moved slightly to the right, and she spotted Malfoy talking to Cornelius Fudge._

            Ginny was surprised at how blank his face was. He didn't appear to enjoying himself at all. In fact, he looked as if he were simply itching to escape. Ginny couldn't believe how ungrateful he could be! If a party as grand as this was being thrown in her honor, and she had as many handsome guys throwing themselves at her as he did girls, she'd be on cloud nine. And yet, Draco looked as if the last thing on earth he wanted to be doing was standing in the middle of that grand ballroom, talking to the Minister.

            Just then, the young man ran his hands through his (extremely soft-looking…_Oh my, thought Ginny) blonde hair and looked away from the Minister. And caught Ginny's eye. Just before she and Tony rotated slowly, she caught one of Malfoy's eyebrows raising, and saw him excuse himself._

            _Damn it, Virginia Weasley! Now you've done it…_Ginny mentally kicked herself. _The slimy git has just the opportunity he needs to torture you again…_

            Just as Draco was finishing his comment, he looked past the Minister and saw Ginny Weasley staring at him. Intrigued, he cocked one eyebrow and excused himself from Fudge. Ginny hastily looked away, slightly pink. Oh, so he was getting to her, was he? Draco smirked. He'd just have a friendly little chat with the Weaselette to get her back for that mortifying scene. Nothing too harsh, of course, she _was _still a lady…but _nobody _embarrassed a Malfoy!

            Draco reached Anthony Leoni and Ginny just as the song that they had been dancing to ended. He tapped Tony on the shoulder, smirking slightly.

            "Draco!" Tony turned, and recognizing his old friend, kissed him enthusiastically on both cheeks. _Damn those Italians…_Draco tried not to show his distate for the greeting.

            "Hello Tony. I see you've met the young Ms. Weasley?" Ginny narrowed her eyes. Draco winked. She rolled her eyes at him, exasperated.

            "Yes- this utterly charming and beautiful young lady has been showing me the ropes around here," Tony turned and flashed his wide, dimpled grin at Ginny, who flushed slightly. _Gag._ "Virginia and I have been having a wonderful time."

            "Showing you the ropes? Does that include a tour of the coat closet, by any chance?" Ginny opened her mouth indignantly, and Tony looked bewildered.

            "Pardon? I don't…"

            "Excuse me Tony, but Miss Weasley has been getting murderous looks all evening, and we wouldn't want any harm to come to such a distinguished guest as herself." Draco nodded towards a group of girls, either eyeing Tony with hungry eyes, or Ginny with dislike. Tony laughed gaily.

            "Well, I cannot disappoint my fan, can I? Virginia," he took Ginny's hand and kissed it gently, before departing. Draco watched him go before turning back to Ginny.

            "The boy's too easy."

            "I'll thank you _kindly _not to insult-"

            "Oh drop the act- Tony and I have known each other since we were five. And trust me- he's always had a soft spot for the ladies…" Ginny shot him a glare almost worthy of a Malfoy.

            "Look, Malfoy," she spat. "I don't know what you're on about, but I'll thank you to leave ME out of it." With that, she turned on her heel to go, but Draco (yet again) grabbed her elbow.

            "Doesn't the birthday boy get a dance?"

            "Go find someone else to demean, you slimy git."

            "Ouch. I think I might have felt that one-"

            "I'm serious, let me go!"

            "Can't we just-"

            "Malfoy, SOD OFF!"


	6. A proposition

**Author's Note:** Okay, so due to the fact that I've run out of paper in the notebook in which I've been scribbling this… I got delayed and haven't written much more… so if this chapter is a tad bit shorter than usual, forgive me, I have to find more paper… lol! What's that? Use the computer you say? But…then I can't write it at midnight, which seems to be working for me! Thanks to all who have read and reviewed…keep those reviews coming!

            "Draco, kindly explain what is going on?" Ginny could have melted into the floor. Why was his mother always around just when she yelled?

            "Virginia here and I are enjoying quite an engaging conversation; very eloquent, this one." Ginny couldn't take it anymore. She simply put her head in her hands. Where was Ron when she needed him, anyway? Some brother- he was probably off snogging with Hermione in some corner. "…so no need to trouble yourself, Mother," Draco was saying. The small crowd that had yet again been watching left once more. _Are they stalking us or something?_ Ginny turned to go before Draco could grab her. But he followed. Determined to get away, Ginny fled through a pair of French doors, only to find herself on an enclosed terrace.

            "_Damn it!"_

            "Like I said before, Virginia, that mouth will do you no good."

            "Malfoy, what do you WANT?" Ginny caved in and turned, exasperated, to see Malfoy leaning easily against the wall of the house. 

            "I want you," here Draco paused. _Oh shit, _Ginny moaned. _This is _not _hap- "…to learn some manners."_

            "What are you talking about?"

            "In case you haven't noticed, Weasley," _Why couldn't he just pick a name? _"Your behavior has _not been exemplary." He moved forward to stand in front of her. "I don't' appreciate being made a fool of, especially at my own party." Ginny rolled her eyes._

            "If _that's _what you're worried about, you're hardly-"

            "Do you know what they're saying in there, Weasley? Not only about my mother's ability to host a proper party, but also about your family?" He pointed through the window to a far corner of the room. "With your father's newfound reputation, he can hardly afford to let his youngest and only daughter behave such in polite society."

            "And you're supposed to be 'polite society'? If you've ever been polite to anyone- _genuinely _polite, I'll… I'll eat my dress and keep my mouth shut. But somehow I'm not worried." Draco glared at her, and Ginny struggled not to gulp, unable to prevent what came next. "Besides, you're the most unbelievable person I've ever met- here you are," Ginny gestured at the Manor. "with all of this, and all of those people are here for YOU, and you can't even be civil to most of them!" Ginny stopped, suddenly VERY worried about her well-being. _Did I just say that out loud?_

            "You don't know anything about my life, Weasley," Draco's eyes flashed, and he was slightly flushed. "So why don't you- No. I have a better idea." Draco stopped suddenly, looking thoughtful, and composed himself. Ginny dreaded his next move. "Let's make a deal. I make an effort not to gag at most of these stiffs, and you behave properly." Ginny eyed him skeptically.

            "How the hell do I know what you define as 'proper'?"

            "Gods, Weasley! Look, I'll coach you, alright? Then you won't make such a fool out of yourself," Ginny looked at him in surprise. "-or embarrass me further." She snorted. "Do we have a deal?" Ginny considered him. Why would he make a proposition like that? What did he have to gain? Well, besides maintaining his spotless reputation. On the other hand, what did she have to lose? And besides, it might be fun to watch him suffer with all of those flirty airheads… Ginny looked up at Draco with a gleam in her eye.

            "Deal." She announced, sticking out her hand. Draco took it and kissed it lightly again. This time, the tingle went to her toes. _Damn it! Why does he keep doing _that? __

            Draco was highly pleased with himself. This whole 'arrangement' made the night that much more interesting. He turned to Ginny.

            "They're about to cut the cake, so I have to go in now; when that whole deal is over, I'll- Weasley, what is that?" Draco lifted Ginny's right arm to expose her dress. She snaped it back down, blushing furiously.

            "There was a mishap earlier…" Draco couldn't believe it. She couldn't even come _dressed properly? He sighed. _

            "Gods, Weasley, this will never do…"

            "Well, what am I supposed to do about it now?" she snapped. "And stop calling me 'Weasley'. The name's Virginia." Draco smirked.

            "And what happened to Ginny?"

            "She grew up." Draco fought it, but he just couldn't help himself. _Damn it Draco, don't DO it…His eyes traveled the length of her body, inspecting it. _You sick bastard, you did it! Now bite your tongue before you-__

            "She certainly has," Virginia's eyes widened and she turned scarlet as Draco eyed her.

            "If I've passed inspection, I think I'll go talk to Tony." She whirled around, carefully keeping her right arm pinned to her side, and hurried inside. Draco couldn't blame her… _Draco Malfoy, you are an insufferable prat, he thought to himself. __Must be the Malfoy in you…shaking himself, he started for the door. But he couldn't help what slipped into his mind. Virginia Weasley definitely _had _grown up. No longer was she the skinny shadow of the three do-goody Gryffindors a year above her- she was a __lady. Draco couldn't believe he was thinking this about a Weasley._

            "It's just because the rest of them can't form a coherent thought," he justified his sudden notice of Virginia's curve of hip and leg, and graceful neck. "Can you help it if your women are required to _think_, old boy?"

            Ginny could NOT believe what had just happened. Draco Malfoy, giving HER the eye! The _nerve _of him! And he apparently liked what he saw, did he? I mean, not that she minded, but- wait! Of _course she minded! This wasn't… this wasn't Seamus Finnigan or anyone, this was __Draco Malfoy. And he'd practically X-rayed her! She shivered slightly, but whether from disgust or pleasure, she couldn't tell._

            "Are you cold?" Tony Leoni was beside her, eyes bright, dimples showing, looking warm and comfortable. Ginny couldn't have been happier to see him.

            "Not anymore," she teased, and accepted his offered arm, shooting a glare at an amused Malfoy, who was making his way to the front of the room.


	7. Keeping the deal

**Author's Note:** This is going really well- I find this story very easy to write, not to mention fun, so I'll try to keep my one chapter a day thing going even when school starts… I'd love to thank all of you who read and review… especially Luna-Elentari, my faithful reviewer who is right there to tap dance around the room if I've got a new chapter. ;) Jenni, Zoe, you both know I love you and naturally you're going to be mentioned… J Big sis…well, middle sis- just keep reading, okay?

            The cutting of the cake was amazing, Ginny thought. The cake itself was magnificent- four tiers, decorated with silver and green rosettes to celebrate not only Draco's birthday, but also his recent graduation from Hogwarts as Head Boy. While her first impression was that the cake looked more like a wedding cake than a birthday cake, (birthday cakes at the Weasleys' usually exploded or tipped precariously to one side while one of the twins poked at it with their wand) she realized that with so many people, the cake had to be huge. Draco Malfoy swiftly cut the first slice, presenting it to his mother, and let the servants do the rest. He was ushered into conversation, and from what Ginny could see, was doing his best not to grimace.

            _He's doing his part of the deal… I'd best behave. She almost grinned. This would be kind of fun…_

            "Virginia?" Draco caught her eye and winked, then went back to listening to a dull-looking blonde ramble on and on. "Virginia?" Ginny looked up.

            "Wha-?"

            "Are you alright?" Tony was giving her a funny look.

            "Oh, I'm fine…just got distracted by the…uh… cake. Hey! Speaking of cake, let's go get some!" She half-dragged him towards the refreshments table. Ginny felt a little bad for seeking Tony out and then staring at Draco. 

            As they ate their rich slices of cake, a familiar figure approached. Narcissa Malfoy. Ginny wanted to dive under the table, or run in the other direction- anything to prevent a confrontation with Mrs. Malfoy, who by this time probably thought she was trying to ruin her party. As it was, she stepped slightly to the side so that her thin frame was somewhat hidden by Tony's tall build. He looked down at her quizzically. 

            "I do trust that you're enjoying the salon, Miss Weasley?" _Damn it! Ginny chewed on her lip, hoping that there was another Ms. Weasley around here somewhere. Then she saw Draco Malfoy watching her a few feet away._

            "Er…oh! Yes, Mrs. Malfoy… and such an excellent salon it is." _Holy God, I sound like a…like a… one of those girls!_ "I'd like to apologize for my earlier outburst, madam. You see, I am not quite accustomed to affairs such as these, and I let my mouth run. Do forgive me." _I think I'm going to be sick…Draco nodded his head in encouragement, a sly smile spreading across his face._

            "Why, Miss Weasley, of course you are forgiven! I was never really upset with you anyway, simply alarmed. I believe you've met my son, Draco?" She beckoned to Malfoy, who was lurking in the background. Tony was now chatting with a young woman who had been ditched by Draco- he'd long since forgotten that Ginny was there, it seemed. 

            "Yes, Draco and I have met…" Her words came out polite and eager, but she was _this close to tackling the git. Since his mother couldn't see his face, Draco had taken it upon himself to entertain Ginny. Rolling his eyes and grinning goofily, Draco winked at Ginny, causing her to momentarily lose her composure. "We went to school together." _

            "Ah, right! How could I have forgotten?" It struck Ginny that maybe Mrs. Malfoy wasn't the quickest thing on the planet…if she and Draco had been having such a heated argument before, wouldn't it sort of be a given that they new each other? She chanced a glance at Draco, who was now shaking his head in mock sadness at his mother's 'forgetfulness'. _Who ever thought Draco Malfoy could remind me of Fred and George?_ Ginny fought back a grin. "Oh, and here comes the music again… come now, you two must dance!" Narcissa Malfoy ushered the two together. Ginny thought she saw Draco's grin falter, but he quickly cocked one eyebrow and dipped his head in invitation. She sighed. Having a deal with Draco Malfoy was one thing…but dancing with him? _Oh well…I _did _make a promise to try…_

            "Oh. But…but of course," Even to Ginny her voice sounded flat. But Narcissa Malfoy was already gone, having been asked to dance by the Minister of Magic…again.

            "Well? Shall we?" Ginny looked up at Draco. His eyes were shining mischievously.

            "Oh _fine_…" she sighed. Draco snorted.

            "Don't be so eager…" She couldn't help but giggle at the mock hurt in his voice. Why was he acting so…_happy _all of a sudden? Almost like he was enjoying this whole ordeal. It never once occurred to her that perhaps he was.

            Draco had never noticed how small Virginia was, comparatively, until she was that close to him. He knew that he was tall, a good six feet, but still…she couldn't have been taller than five-foot-two.

            He was immensely enjoying this entire deal that they had agreed on. Watching her stumble her way through niceties with his mother was amusing, and he found himself in a better mood than he'd been in for quite some time. He even caught himself goofing off a bit while his mother couldn't see. For some reason, it was suddenly very important that he be able to make Virginia Weasley laugh.

            "So how are your adoring fans?" Draco looked down. Virginia was grinning up at him, indicating the wishy-washy girls watching them. He winked at her.

            "They're _terribly _jealous of the young, attract-" Draco stopped, catching sight of the Minister dancing with his mother. "Damn it, I'm going to throttle the man…" he muttered, forgetting that Ginny could hear him.

            "What? Who?" She started to turn her head. Suddenly Draco was sour again. The last thing he wanted was for the little Weaselette to get involved in his personal life.

            "None of your business," he growled. Ginny stiffened in his arms.

            "I think I'm finished dancing, thank you," she wrenched herself out of  his grasp and stalked off. _Draco Malfoy, get a grip! _He mentally berated himself. _One minute you're noticing how rich the color of her hair is, and how pretty she looks when she giggles, and the next you're practically shoving her away! You have _got _to compose yourself. Then he realized what he was thinking. _And she's a WEASLEY! What are you doing with her anyway? _Glowering, Draco turned to find Athella Copper practically begging him to dance with her. Could the night get any worse?_


	8. When in Rome, drink like the French do

**Author's Note: **Hehehe, that last chapter was terribly evil of me. I should really be nicer to you all… J Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, love ya!

            She walked away feeling furious with herself. How could she let herself think those things? Ginny couldn't believe it. She'd thought that dancing with Draco was all part of the game, all part of the silly deal they'd made. Then, once she was in his arms…_Those eyes… they were so deep and thoughtful. And he was making her laugh, making her feel comfortable with him; almost as if they were friends. Tony treated her like a lady, but Draco made her-_ No. Ginny refused to think about it. She was only feeling like that because Draco was arguably the best-looking guy in the place. Even if he was an ass, he was still gorgeous. And naturally, to be asked to dance by the most handsome fellow at a party like this, well… _Stop it right now __Virginia__!_

            By leaving herself vulnerable like that, she'd just set herself up for a letdown. Of course he hadn't been enjoying it- he was a Malfoy, a rich, snobby, sneering prat. It would have been better for her if she had stayed home with Fred and George. (Ginny quickly retracted that last statement, but it didn't stop her from feeling miserable.) 

            "Hey! Gin!" Reluctantly she turned. It was only Ron and his friends. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you!" 

            "In a better mood now, Ron?" she raised one eyebrow. Her brother's ears turned pink. "Thought so. Why were you looking for me?"

            "Well, you know…it's kind of an…elite gathering. Thought we might want to stick together." Ginny shrugged. Why not? Anything was better than dealing with that…with _Malfoy._

            "Are you alright Ginny? You look a little ill…" Hermione looked at her with concern.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just a little hot in here, that's all." Ron, oblivious to Ginny's sudden discomfort at the party, was hoisting another glass of champagne off of one of the servant's trays. Harry gently took it out of his hand and replaced it. 

"Maybe we should go outside," he suggested, steering Ron carefully towards the door.

"Gerroff me Harry, I'm not drunk!" Ron said, a little too loudly. Hermione gave Harry an I'll-take-it-from-here look.

"Of course you aren't Ron, darling. It's that Harry doesn't want to see you have to dance with Malfoy, the git was coming over here to ask, and we thought we'd go outside before he could catch you, sweetie." Ron grinned foolishly.

"Right. Can't have any of that, now, can we? He's not even a good dancer like me…" Ginny shook her head and Harry rolled his eyes at her. 

"Doesn't even know what she's saying to him, does she?" Ginny giggled and the two of them followed Ron and Hermione out onto one of the patios.

"So Ginny…what have you been doing all of this time?" Hermione asked her, supporting Ron's drowsy weight with her shoulder. "_Ron…if you don't snap out of it, I'm going to push you over this railing…" He mumbled and stood up._

"Oh…mingling," She looked down at her hands, not wanting to tell them about her deal with Malfoy. While she knew that there was more to him than the Hogwarts façade, she didn't particularly want to go telling his archenemies how she'd danced with him and all. Hermione didn't notice Ginny's nervousness, she was too busy squabbling with Ron over just how much champagne he'd had. Harry, on the other hand, did.

Moving over to stand next to her, he looked at her with concern. "Everything alright, Ginny?" he said quietly, studying her face. Ginny looked up at her brother's best friend. She'd once had a huge crush on him; for years, in fact. During that time all she could see was how attractive he was, how valiant, and strong. Now she knew that there was much more to him. Not only was Harry a loyal friend, he was a truly kind person. He always looked out for the underdogs, and Ginny had discovered that she could count on him for anything. Still, she couldn't bring herself to tell him that her problems stemmed from Malfoy. While he wouldn't go storming off in a blind rage like Ron, he'd be disappointed in her. She never wanted to disappoint him.

"It's just… I've been thinking a lot about a guy that I shouldn't. I mean, it's not like he's off limits or anything, technically, but he's…not my type." She tried to put into words her unhappiness without giving away who it was that was bothering her. "He keeps sending me mixed signals. And I know that I shouldn't even be worrying about the signals that he's sending me, but I am. And it bothers me." She glared down at the ground. Harry sighed.

"Well…" he started, slowly. "I'm not so great at relationship kind of stuff…I'm more of a 'go rescue the damsel in distress and win the medal of honor' kind of guy, but I'll see what I can do." Ginny looked up, and saw a grin playing about the young man's mouth. He was obviously itching to keep a straight face. "What I'd say is that the guy probably feels the same way about you- I mean if you feel that _he's _not your type, he probably thinks you're not his… and it's making him nervous too. Just ride it out the best that you can and see what comes of it." Harry thought for a second, his brows furrowed. "Ginny, you couldn't- who exactly are we talking about here…if you don't mind my asking," She looked up at him sharply. _Surely he hasn't guessed? Then she realized that she might be underestimating Harry…he wasn't stupid._

"Oh, er…no one you would know…" she lied, hoping he couldn't see right through her. He did.

"Ginny…if it is Ma- whoever it is…I think you should just um…just be careful, okay?" He cut his sentence short as Ron finally let Hermione perform a charm which would relieve him a bit of his intoxicated state.

"What are you guys talking about?" He asked, curiously. Ginny and Harry looked at each other, then up at the sky.

"The stars..." they both said together, trying not to grin.

            The party was nearing an end, and Draco couldn't wait until he could take off for a while- never having to worry about dodging Athella Copper as she pursued him around the ballroom. Slipping behind a pillar as he saw her come around a clump of people, Draco hoped she couldn't see him…_I will be _so _glad when this night is over…_ He cast a glance out of the window and saw Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter. And Ginny.

            He did a slight double-take. (Slight, of course. Malfoys never visibly show surprise…) The two lovebirds, Weasley and Granger were arguing, as usual, and Virginia and Potter were standing off to the side. She was looking up at him affectionately, and he had his arm resting on the railing next to her, protectively. Draco narrowed his eyes. Screw Potter and his friends; they were always messing everything up for him…_ Wait a second! Messing what _up? I don't want anything Potter's got…_ Draco pushed the thought of the smallest Weasley out of his mind, and forced himself to stay close to his mother until the end of the party._

            Ginny hadn't seen Draco for the rest of the night, and she convinced herself that she couldn't care less. Harry had taken it upon himself to keep her entertained for the rest of the night, even though it was clear that he'd been enjoying the company of a slender young brunette earlier. She was grateful to him; Ron meant well, but he wouldn't notice if she was distraught, he was too worried about not upsetting things with Hermione himself. She hadn't seen her parents either, but she supposed that they were talking with other Ministry members.

            She and Harry had just finished a dance and were going to get a drink when her father appeared at her elbow.

            "Ginny! Harry!  Haven't seen you two in a while!" He was grinning widely, looking as if he'd thoroughly enjoyed himself. "Where are the other two? It's almost time to go," Harry pointed to the punch bowl where Hermione was preventing Ron from pouring champagne into his punch glass.

            ("But 'Mione… the party is _serving champagne! I can't just deny them the formality of accepting, can I? What's that Muggle saying? When in Rome, drink like the French do, or something?")_

            "Ah! Wonderful! I'll just collect them then, here comes Molly, and we'll be on our way!" He turned to go, but swiveled back to face them, his face shining. "Did you two know- the Malfoys have their entire house rigged with _eckeltricity__!"  He bounded cheerfully away, reminding Ginny of an extremely playful puppy._


	9. Back to the Manor

**Author's Note:** Greetings, all! I'm back from both of my sister's graduations and ready to ruuumble!!! ;) Order of business is… reviews.

Nancy DEAR- You _know _that this is a Draco/Ginny fic and I can't just have you swooning over HARRY in it… you want that, you have to motivate me to write a HARRY fanfic….oh. Wait. I have one. What's that you say? I haven't had a new part in months?....moving on!

Darcel, I'm glad you're still reading and enjoying! Random Artemis- You're not by any chance related to Random Minion, are you? lol! Too many Randoms! Thanks for the review! And to my anonymous reviewer- I'm glad you like!

MY WHEEZY! So glad to see your review- let's try not to get Ron _too _tipsy, shall we? ;)

And last, but not least, by far…

LOUISA! I am SO happy to see you! I can't believe you've even remembered me at this point, let alone taken the time to read my new story and all!!! Yay! This part is dedicated to you!!!

Now that I've babbled on enough… here's the part you've all been waiting for! (Well, maybe not, but at least it's a part…)

            Draco had made up his mind to push the events of the past evening out of his memory. For the majority of the day, it had gone well- his mother had dragged him down to Diagon Alley for some birthday shopping, and his thoughts were distracted by the new broomstick he saw on display; (and now owned) the 2010 Golden Edtion Firebolt X. 

            Wow.

            Now _that _was a broom. Hand-polished cherry handle built to withstand 217 lbs. of impact with a special anti-gust spell to prevent the broom from blowing away in winds up to 189 mph. In case one ever needed that. Its tail was made from a specially grown, weathered, and hand-trimmed mixture of straw and oak twigs, specifically designed to give the rider maximum speed and dexterity in the air. Draco was so excited he flew it home.

            "Mother?" He called, as he trotted happily into the Manor, forcing himself to slow his pace- it simply wouldn't do to have the servants see him in such a boyish manner. "Mother are you home?" He dumped his cloak on a chair in the entryway and proceeded to the drawing room. As he passed one of the many mirrors in the house, he noticed that his hair was rumpled and his cheeks rather flushed. Draco peeked in the drawing room, and at no sign of his mother, headed upstairs to fix his appearance.

            He was just beginning to notice that the house was oddly quiet, even for their huge manor, when the doorbell rang. At first Draco paid no notice and proceeded up the stairs, but as the bell rang a second and third time with no answer, he strutted down the staircase to open the door, wondering where in the world Herman was.

            His good mood still radiating from him, Draco opened the door. His jaw almost dropped (_almost…he still had some dignity) when he caught sight of who was standing there._

            Ginny had returned home the night before amongst a multitude of reactions- Her father was simply elated at the idea of the Malfoys using advanced Muggle technology, while her mother was quite disgruntled at the fact that Ron had consumed a bit too much of the champagne. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were talking between themselves, discussing worldly matters and how many olives Ron had stuffed in his pockets. Percy and Penelope (**A/N: If you're reading this Zoe, go ahead and insert your name there…) went off by themselves, much as they had arrived, and the rest of them returned to the Burrow.**

            Fred and George were there, hurriedly trying to remove Ginny's shrunken jumper off of the cat before their mother returned, and when they realized that she would all too soon walk through the door, they shrunk the cat instead. Neither of them seemed too interested in the events of the evening, except for the details of Ron's outburst early in the evening. They followed him up to his room, taunting the poor boy until in an attempt to hurl his shoe at them, Ron tripped and knocked the three of them down the third-floor staircase. At that point, her parents decided the evening was over.

            Ginny was just about to get into bed when she realized that she couldn't find her brush- she'd already checked the bathroom and the cat's bed, but it wasn't in any of the usual places… she knew that she'd had it earlier in the evening, and it was driving her crazy! With hair as long as hers, she couldn't stand going to bed without giving it a good combing-through. _Oh drat! She smacked herself on the forehead as she realized that she'd put it in her bag, only to leave her bag in a small corner of the Malfoys' coat closet… Sighing, Ginny crawled into bed and resigned herself to the fact that she'd have to return tomorrow to retrieve her bag._

            As she walked up the drive to the Malfoy Manor, Ginny thought that the place looked a little quiet. Compared to the previous night, of course, quiet was a mere understatement. But she didn't see any gardeners or anything…_ But what do I know about the care and keeping of manors? She grinned grimly to herself. __At least I can just get it and go… no lingering or awkward moments. Wait a minute- awkward? What is there to be awkward about? Ginny shook her head to clear it and rang the doorbell on the tall doors._

            Draco Malfoy answered it.

            He was flushed, and his usually sleek blonde hair was tousled and windblown- his face was still lit up from some obviously exhilarating experience; Ginny had never seen him like this. She couldn't force herself to say she didn't like it.

            "Can I help you?" Malfoy's excited aura dimmed a little. Ginny suddenly felt small and insecure under his probing eyes.

            "I left my purse here last night. I believe it would be in your closet? I simply came to retrieve it," she said, straightening her posture a bit and determinedly looking him in the eye. That amused glint appeared in his blue-grey eyes again, and for the life of her, Ginny couldn't figure out _why_. It annoyed the hell out of her. "And you don't have to get smart about it- these things happen and, if you would just be so kind as to let me get it, I'll be out of your way, mister Malfoy."

            Draco's good mood faded a little when he saw Ginny Weasley standing outside the Manor. But when he saw her strict resolve falter as she laid eyes on him, he couldn't help but be amused. The girl had a stronger side to her, he'd seen it; but when would she start _using _it? 

            "Can I help you?" He watched her face intently, wondering why she was here…did it have to do with last night? He'd tried to put her out of his mind, but truthfully, he had been thinking about her on that broom ride…maybe…maybe she-

            "I left my purse here last night. I believe it would be in your closet? I simply came to retrieve it," Ginny said, looking him in the eye. Draco fought back a grin. "And you don't have to get smart about it- these things happen, and if you would be so kind as to let me get it, I'll be out of your way, mister Malfoy." _Ouch. That was cold…_

            "By all means, miss Weasley. And please. Let's be a little less formal, shall we? The salon is over." Draco raised his eyebrow and waved her inside.


	10. Tea for two

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who has read thus far- it's gorgeous outside, and after a rainy weekend in Maryland, I want to take advantage of it, so I'm not going to go into the whole thanking everyone individually thing… :) So deal with it! LOL! 

            I hope you all enjoy this, and don't worry, things will happen eventually… hehehe…

            Ginny raised her eyebrows and cautiously advanced through the doorway. Draco shut the door behind her, and she forced herself not to jump at the sudden sound. It jerked her back to the present, (she'd been dreamily recalling that windblown look Malfoy had shown up in, imagining it under slightly different circumstances…) and she flushed slightly. Quickly, she found the closet and went inside- there was her little bag, lying shabbily in a corner where it had fallen.

            "Well, thank you very much- I'll just be leaving then," she said as she emerged, but Draco was standing in front of the door.

            "You'd like some tea," he said, and to Ginny's surprise it didn't sound much like she had a choice.

            "Er…okay then,"

            Draco could not believe how easy it had been to get her to stay; not that he was _trying to make her stay…he'd simply asked if she wanted tea…Not that he really _wanted _her to stay either… Mere niceties, that's what it was. Draco turned before he gave himself away and ushered her into the sitting room._

            "I'll have Sarah make some up- give me just a minute," he told her, and watched her look around the sitting room in amazement. _She's really going to have to get over this shock of nice things…_He thought, amused.

            Much to Draco's surprise, Sarah wasn't in the kitchen when he entered. "Sarah?" he called, looking in the pantry. "…Where is she?" It was then that he remembered the house had seemed empty before- so far he couldn't find his mother, their butler, or their cook; and come to think of it, he hadn't seen any of the maids, either. "That's odd…" Scratching his head absentmindedly, he walked back to the room in which he'd left Ginny.

            "This is a nice picture," she commented, looking at a photograph of Draco and his mother on the day of his graduation from Hogwarts. He scowled. He never liked it when outsiders saw the family's private photographs.

            "We're quite a photogenic family," he sneered, before realizing that he'd _invited her to stay- he might as well be civil. "Um, I can't seem to find our cook, Sarah, so I guess…I'll make us some tea," Draco hurriedly avoided Ginny's laughing eyes. Apparently the thought of Draco Malfoy stirring tea was too much for her._

            "Don't you have a maid you could get to do it or something?" 

            "Well, yes, but… I can't find any of them, either."

            "Show me the kitchen," Ginny commanded, taking off her cloak and laying down her bag on the settee. Draco eyed her with mild confusion but led the way.

            "Here it is- I don't know why you want to see it…it's just like any other kit- what are you doing?" he asked, as she filled the teapot with water and set it on the stove. 

            "Making us tea,"

            "Oh, no. I don't think so," With a swift movement, Draco had yanked the teapot out of her small hands and pushed her back from the stove. "This is _my _house, and I couldn't have a guest slaving over a hot stove. I appreciate the gesture, but I'll make the tea."

            Ginny tutted impatiently at Draco and allowed him to fiddle with the stove. "If you really think that's the best idea, then maybe I could find some cakes or something to go with it…" she looked around, trying to keep herself occupied. Draco made her nervous, but this could almost be fun. As soon as she reached for a cabinet, Draco skidded over and stepped in front of her.

            "What are you _doing?_" He demanded.

            "Well, you're making the tea, so I thought I'd look for something to go with it!" Ginny exclaimed, a bit irritated that he wasn't letting her help.

            "I'll do that," he announced, and began rummaging through the cabinet.

            "While you're doing that, I'll check the tea," she told him, and headed back for the stove. "Oh my- you turned the wrong burner on! Never leave an open flame!" Ginny started hurrying for the stove, but once again, Draco cut her off and switched the teapot to the other burner.

            It was starting to get old.

            "What on earth are _you _doing, Draco Malfoy?" He looked at her quizzically. "Why aren't you letting me help you?" Draco scowled. 

            "It isn't polite to have one's guest, especially a lady, fixing and serving food which should be prepared by the household!" he grumbled. Ginny felt a grin spread across her face. _A lady? Oh ho, so it's a matter of _honor, _is it? Let's see what we can do with this…_She was just about to make a snide remark when she realized that he was actually sincere in his dismay, and stopped herself.

            "Look, Draco- if it means that much to you, go ahead and make the tea…but if there's anything I _can _do, just let me-" He waved her away, and banished, Ginny went to sit on a stool by a counter. 

            For a while, neither of them said anything. Ginny simply watched Malfoy scuttle around the giant kitchen, trying to find the correct tools with which to concoct this "tea stuff". Occasionally she would let a comment like, "whenever I make tea, I always try to prepare the leaves with such-and-such kind of knife" slip, lessening the grief that the poor boy was going through.

            Finally, the tea was "finished", Draco announced, and he ushered Ginny back into the drawing room. He came back in with a magnificent tea set on a highly polished silver platter. A package of crackers was arranged around the edge of the tray. Ginny refrained from saying anything. 

            The tea was terrible, possibly the worst she'd ever had. But Draco seemed quite happy with his accomplishment, so she sipped it and smiled politely, never letting on that the taste was worse than the time her mother had enchanted a bar of soap to follow anyone around who said anything rude…

            "Do you like it?" he asked, eagerly. Ginny could not believe how much Draco Malfoy, king of Hogwarts and the crown prince of society reminded her of her brother, Ron, whenever he felt he'd done something to be proud of.

            "It's scrumptious…"


	11. MAYDAY, Draco Malfoy, MAYDAY!

**Author's Note:** Wow! I'm over 50 reviews already, and this is a first! Can't tell you all how happy I am; this just gives me more motivation to keep writing! 

            And I know, I know, the plot is starting to stray a little from 'My Fair Lady', which is a bit unfair to those of you who are reading it for that twist…So I'll do my best in the next few chapters to make it up to you and get this baby back on track.

**BulimicBarkingSqurril**- lol I'm glad to see you're very enthusiastic about this- and if you'd really like me to tell you, it's spelled _squirrel_… ;)

**Darcel**- What? No maids? *gasp* hehehe, I don't have any brothers, but I can tell you I took advantage of my older sisters in much the same way…

**Nancy**- What's that? Skidding through doorways? WHERE??? Ah how I _almost wish I was at school today! ;)_

**Draco's Cutie**- Thanks! I'll try to keep it up to par…

**Zoe**- LOL I agree, it isn't the _tea _that's scrumptious!

**Jenni**- See above… lol

**Sabriel14**- Yeah, wherever that is is right…lol I need to get this thing back on track…*shakes head* but I'm glad that you think it's keeping its light tone- that was my goal from day 1! 

**Anjelline**- Hehehe, _so _glad you enjoyed that chapter!

**Louisa**- Breathe, darling, breathe…

**MelissaAdams**- well, here's your next chapter! J Read and enjoy!

            And now, a little more action at the Malfoy Manor! (No, not the action you're all looking for…not yet… lol) Oh, and I know that this first part with Draco is a little OOC, but I'm sorry! I couldn't think of any other way to do it… (Gimme a break, I'm sick and my mind isn't working as well… lol!)

            Draco didn't know _what _had come over him- here he was acting like a schoolboy, for goodness sakes, over a cup of _disgusting tea…but for some reason, the only thing that mattered to him right now was that Virginia Weasley saw that he could do something as menial as making tea. _

            "Do you like it?" he asked, studying her face carefully. 

            "It's scrumptious," she replied, without hesitation. He knew that she had to be lying, of course- the tea was revolting. Draco grinned; a real, honest-to-goodness grin, not the Malfoy smirk. What in the world was going on here? He was just considering pouring her another cup, (but if she was lying about the taste, wouldn't it be rather cruel of him to subject her to his awful tea?) when she set her teacup down and looked around.

            "Quite a fancy place you have…" Since when was Virginia Weasley so friendly with him? She'd come here quite curtly to grab her purse and leave, and now she was making small talk!

            "Would you like the unofficial tour?" Draco stood and began to pile the tea set back onto its tray.

            "Why, I think I would!" A smile played about her lips as she watched Draco.

            "I'll just wash up then, and after that we can-" He stopped as she hastily stood up and took the tray away from him. "What are you doing?"

            "Look, Malfoy. I let you make the tea. And if truth be told, it was ghastly…worse than any tea Ron's ever made- actually, Ron is quite good at making tea…" Draco snickered. Figures that the Weasel would be one to bustle about in the kitchen. "But that's not the point. The point is, I wouldn't want you to drop any cups or anything. Let me wash up." And before Draco could protest, she was setting off down the hallway for the kitchen.

            Ginny rolled her eyes as she heard Draco sidling down the hallway behind her. It was obvious that he didn't want her to clean up, but she wasn't about to relinquish her power. For that's what this was about- control. Sure, he had the upper hand with the tea, but she couldn't let him think that she was a pushover. No siree…Draco Malfoy would have to find out that Virginia Weasley had a lot more to her than red hair and freckles.

            He hovered around her as she cleaned the tea set, and as soon as she was finished, he took off down the hallway. Ginny didn't really know what had made her long for a tour, but she'd always admired fine houses, and, well…when would she have a better chance to inspect one? Much as she loved the Burrow and its coziness, she sometimes longed for the finer things in life.

            Draco was a very good tour guide- not only did he obviously know the purpose of each of the rooms and such, he knew the history of them as well. The architecture, the time period in which it was furnished; Ginny found herself learning quite a bit about the styles from the early 19th century, which seemed to be a favorite in this house. 

            She was surprised at the manor; in all of her previous years at Hogwarts, when the Malfoys still embodied the Dark Arts, she had imagined the fabled manor to be dark and gloomy- like the villain's castle in a fairy tale. But this manor, the one that Draco was showing her, was (well, she wouldn't say bright and cheery…) tasteful and elegant; nothing close to what she had imagined.

            Malfoy led her up to the fourth floor, and was showing her around some of the lesser rooms that they used to entertain less formal company, when a small house-elf, dressed in a sapphire blue sheath sort of outfit approached them.

            "Bitsy!" Draco hailed the elf as she came towards the two of them. "What is it?"

            "Bitsy has a note for master," she told him, looking hastily at Virginia, and then back. She leaned in towards Draco, who squatted down to hear what she had to say. "Is it alright for Bitsy to give it to him…here?" 

            "Yes, yes, it's fine," He waved her along, and she handed him the note. "Thank you," The elf hastily retreated downstairs. Draco opened the note. It was in his mother's handwriting.

            _Draco dearest,_

_Owing to the marvelous salon last evening, I have decided to give the servants the rest of the day off- they did work rather hard last night, didn't' they? I am sure you won't mind, and by the time you get this, I will be away already. You see, one of my dear friends is in town, and the two of us have decided to get together and have some tea and do some shopping… Bitsy of course shall be home to take care of you if you need anything- don't expect me until later this evening. _

_            Ciao, darling! _

            "Oh…." Draco scanned the note quickly again, then folded it and put it in his pocket. "So _that's _where everyone is,"

            "What?" Ginny asked, curious. He turned to her. She was looking up at him, perfectly at ease- something he never could have expected. Even at the salon the previous night, there had always been that bit of tension between the two of them; he was a Malfoy, and she was a Weasley, for goodness sakes. He couldn't say truthfully that he didn't like the idea that she could be comfortable with him, but- _Damn it, Malfoy, there you go again! When will you learn to hold your tongue- er…thoughts?_

            "Nothing," he snapped, and instantly regretted it, as he saw her face close up. 

            "Well, thank you for showing me around," she replied curtly, and made to leave. Desperately, Draco tried to think of a way to make her stay. It wasn't that he wanted _her _company, necessarily, but he did need _some _company in this house.

            "Wait!" _Damn it, that sounded way too anxious, _he thought. Virginia turned slowly.

            "Yes?"

            "Er, you…haven't seen…my quarters yet!" Using his amazing facial control, Draco masked the worry on his face. _You dolt! Your __quarters, of all places? Mentally, Draco was berating himself for his stupid move._

            "And what is so interesting about…_your _quarters?" Virginia asked, stepping a bit closer.

            "They, uh, they…have a…spectacular view," he replied, trying to keep the huskiness out of his voice. _Damn she looked good sometimes. __MAYDAY Draco Malfoy, MAYDAY! His mind screamed at him. "Would you care to see?" He cockily raised one eyebrow and held out his arm. Flashing him a killer smile, Virginia Weasley accepted and stepped with him through the doors to his room._

**Author's Note:** Dun dun DUUUUUN!!! *dramatic music plays* Hehehe, aren't you all just DYING for the next part? (haha, to tell the truth, I am too!) Well…you're just going to have to wait! Mwahaha…I'm sooo evil. See? Little horns. ;) Please read and review!


	12. Just you wait, Draco Malfoy!

**Author's Note:**  Hey all! Wow, I've been getting more and more reviews lately for each chapter! I have to say, I'm quite encouraged by it!

            So I figured that the last part was _quite _nasty of me, and I'd try and make it up to you all by posting another part. (Though I don't know how happy everyone is going to be with me after this one…)

**Nancy****: Are you sure _that's why your mouse was smoking? _**

**MelissaAdams:** Yes, Draco can be pretty evil, can't he?

**Darcel: **No, I can't say I've read those books; I'll have to check them out. And normally, yes, Ginny would probably freak- but as we've all noticed, there's a little something coming over her these days…

**Jenni:** I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line for that unofficial tour… _I'm next lol!_

**Zoe:** Well, as disappointed in your lack of appearance in this as you are, I'm terribly flattered… ;)

**Anjelline:** Thank you! I'm feeling better already! J As for anything happening…read and see!

**Pumpkinpiebaby:** You've actually reviewed before, and I'm thrilled you chose to do so again. It's more of Draco's POV that you want me to put in, is that it?

**SAngel:** Well, I'm glad you like it with all of my strayings…lol I'll try not to not stray too much… hahaha!

**Kinboshi Hiko:** Whoa there… ;) I'm doing my best to update! And I know- that cliffie _was pretty evil…___

**Sabriel4:** Draco? He's bonkers. But we all knew that. ;) And yes- Professor Higgins was always a bit too…old and snooty for me… lol! But we'll see just how far away from him Draco _really _is… lol! And I'm absolutely tickled you think I'm funny- especially because those are the hardest parts for me! J

**Thief: **Thank you so much! I only wish I had as much talent as you think! lol 

            Phew! Now after that long and exhausting Author's Note…I think I'll call it quits.

            NAH, I'm just fooling with you all… lol! Here it is, boys and girls! (Probably mostly girls though LOL) Enjoy!

            _VIRGINIA ABIGAIL WEASLEY! GET OUT OF HERE IMMEDIATELY! Ginny's mind was screaming at her, positively apoplectic with horror at what she was about to do. _Great, now I've got Mum invading my mind? _Ginny shook herself and looked around. She was still holding Draco's arm, (still? It had only been about four seconds- when would she have let go?) and he was watching her with a rather strangled look on his face- almost one of frantic worry and delight. __Oh Gods, what am I doing? She panicked. __How did I ever let him get me in here? Dismayed, Ginny nearly turned and fled with all the strength that she had, but something stopped her. __Go. GO. Go faaar away! Her brain was furious with her at this point. Every ounce of learning and years of experience Ginny had told her that this was some sort of a trick- that the last hour or so had been a dream and there was _no _way Draco Malfoy was shyly inviting her into his room. She was a Weasley, for goodness sakes, and even if he wasn't… _evil_, like everyone thought…the one thing he hated most (or so she thought) were the Weasleys. _

            But her _body _was telling her something extremely different.

            _Sure, maybe he's setting you up for something…but how many girls get the chance to be personally invited into Draco Malfoy's _rooms?_ Ginny's imaginary devil perched on her ear and started whispering to her. __Okay, so maybe a lot. But still…carpe dium! Seize the day! So what if you're going down? At least enjoy the ride! Ginny started to agree with it, and began to smile coyly. Then her "Mum-like angel" broke in._

            _Enjoy the ride?! The only ride you'd better be enjoying is the one home_ young lady, because there is no way this will go well. This can only end in tears! _(**A/N: Haha, if any of you have seen Anastasia it's possibly one of my favorite lines- but it's hard for me to picture Molly Weasley with a Russian accent…) Ginny's head was beginning to throb from the inner conflict (she couldn't believe how fast it all went by- mere seconds, at the most) when she heard a faint noise, and Draco stiffened.**_

            She turned to look at him, and found herself ushered out of the room. "What?" she asked, confused.

            "It's time for you to go," Draco haughtily replied, smoothing back his hair and hurrying her down one flight of stairs. "You should consider yourself quite lucky- not many receive such an extensive and informative tour of the Malfoy Manor." _Yeah…I'll bet, _Ginny snorted. As he pushed her down the second-story staircase, Ginny halted.

            "Draco Malfoy! What is the meaning of this? One minute you're being friendly and polite, showing me around, and the next, you're pushing me out the door! You were practically begging me to stay before- showing me your quarters, indeed!" Ginny could feel herself turning red with anger, and she was resisting the urge to smack him across his snobbish little face. _His very attractive _snobbish face…_ "Ohhh…shut _up!_" she yelled, accidentally voicing out loud her frustration at her confused feelings._

            Draco's face set itself. "While I am sure that you have made very gallant efforts at retaining your visitors, Miss Weasley, showing off _your rooms- er, _room_- may not be the best method." He retorted, pale face just the slightest bit flushed._

            _SMACK!_

Ginny could hold out no longer. She was sick of him. Sick of his little games, sick of his arrogant, conceited ways, and most of all, sick of his disgustingly beautiful house. 

            "Show off _that_," she spat, and stormed down the stairs, Draco hot on her heels.

            "How _dare _you strike me," he grabbed for her arm, but she jerked away.

            "Don't you touch me!" Ginny screeched. He looked so angry; while she wanted to believe that he would never stoop to hitting a lady, she could tell that he was close to the edge. "You keep your hands off of me, or…or… I'll have you in court faster than you can say albatross!" With that, she turned to leave, finding herself facing none other than the very lady of the house- Draco's mother. _Why does she keep doing this? Ginny nodded curtly. "Good day, Mrs. Malfoy!" she strode out of the house without looking back._

            Draco stood there for a moment, fuming. How _dare _she. Strike a Malfoy. In his own house. He never- he simply couldn't believe it. He dragged his eyes away from the angry form retreating down the drive and faced his mother.

            "Draco Malfoy, what is the meaning of this?" She was staring at him, absolutely horrified. "And what was that Weasley girl doing in this house?" 

            "She came to retrieve her bag, Mother. And what should you have against having a Weasley in the house anyway?" He glared, resisting the urge to rub his burning cheek. His mother looked completely shocked at his audacity.

            "For your information, I have nothing against the Weasley family- I find them quite delightful, if a bit _rustic…_I do, however, like to be notified of who is in my house and when. I would like to make it clear to you that no one is to set foot in this house without my knowledge, do you hear?" She turned on her heel to leave. Draco had never heard her speak like that- like an actual mother, instead of a fashion plate. It gave him that feeling of resentment one gets when being told off.

            "Do not speak to me as if I were a child, Mother!" He called to her, hands clenched. "You missed that chance! Do you hear yourself? You sound like Father," he spat, before making his way up to his rooms. _The nerve of that girl… slapping me like I was some…some…common criminal! I should have known better- Mother may have nothing against the Weasley family, but I _most certainly do- and there is no way that miniature Weasel is setting foot back in this house!_ _

            Draco knew that he was unnecessarily upset, that Ginny had had every right to treat him like she did; he had after all completely pushed her away. But he couldn't have had his mother or another visitor find the two of them together in his room! She would have had a fit… Draco supposed that he should calm down and consider the situation rationally. But once his Malfoy temper had gotten a hold of him, nothing would settle that rage but retaliation.

            Ginny aparated back to the Burrow enraged. She still could not believe the impudence of Malfoy- with his fancy house and fancy manners- fancy was all he had going for him!

            The sight of her home softened her mood a bit. She loved her family, and their house, and since it was her dad's birthday in two days, the whole family would be visiting. Bill and Charlie were due to arrive today, as was Percy. (Along with Penelope) Sighing to cool her fiery temper, Ginny pushed open the back door.

            "Gin! Where've you been? We missed you this morning," Fred was bounding down the stairs as she entered the kitchen, trying to turn his green Weasley sweater around to the front.

            "Oh, I had an errand to run," she mumbled. It wasn't really a lie- she _did have an errand to run- it just shouldn't have taken an hour and a half to run it…_

            "Well at least you're back!" Fred flashed her one of his winning grins as he snatched a scone from the table. Their mother was nowhere around, so he figured he was safe. Ginny stifled a laugh as a piercing voice echoed through the kitchen from the living room.

            "Fred Weasley! I see you sneaking food! You put that back immediately and come fix this cat!" Ducking into the living room, Fred winked, and innocently tried to convince his mother that he had had no part in the shrinkage of the family cat. Ginny sighed, and while her mother was occupied with Fred, seized a scone to give her brother later. She was on her way to her room when two heads popped out of a door to her left.

            "Ginny! Long time no see!" It was Bill- he looked as cool as ever, with his earring and long hair, only this time he looked like the cat that caught the canary.

            "…What are you two up to?" she asked, eyeing Charlie, who was grinning mischievously at her from behind Bill's shoulder. A third head peeked out from around his other shoulder.

            "Welcome back, Gin! Er…you didn't happen to see Percy down there, did you?" George asked. Ginny shook her head slowly. "Ah. Marvelous. You see…the bloke's in a bad enough mood already- apparently some friend of his…Zoe, or something, literally attacked him- Penelope walked in on the two of them…Percy swears _he had nothing to do with it-"_

            "-but we don't believe that," Charlie winked. "Anyway, Bill brought him a, er, _present from Egypt…and gave it to him without realizing quite what a mood he was in…try and keep him away from us, eh?" Ginny, originally horrified at Percy's plight, cocked her head._

            "What did you give him?" she asked Bill.

            "Oh, you'll find out,"

**Author's Note: THERE. That's got to be my longest yet. And while there's none of the action I'm sure you all were hoping for, weren't all just cheering Ginny on? I, for one, was resisting the urge to have a musical number in there- "Just you wait Draco Malfoy" ;) **

            Who is this mysterious Zoe trying to snog Percy?

            What will become of his engagement?

            What did Bill give him?

            Will Draco ever forgive Ginny?

            Will they _ever _get together?

            All of these answers and more in the next part! Well, no. Not in the next part. And we may never know the answers to all of them. So you'll just have to hang tight and wonder. ;) Read and review please! Ciao!


	13. The Curse of the Erratic Scarab Beetle

**Author's Note: **Well, the end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and things have gotten busier and busier- not to mention I now have to find a job to raise money for my trip to Scotland with my sister this summer… (YAY!) So I apologize for the delay in an update…

Right. On to the reviews.

**Jenni****: You can drool over Bill- I'll take Fred or Draco any day… here's that crumpled paper fan you wanted… ;)**

**Zoe****: Ah. Zoe. Knew you'd like this one. I had to do it. I just had to. You were becoming such a pest, I knew the only way to get rid of you would be to just insert you in there somewhere. ;) Of course, now you'll have to deal with whatever comes next, ya know…**

**Anjelline****: I know. The poor boy. No one likes him, and he's so- hey! What am I saying? He totally deserved it! **

**Dragon Eyes: **I'm glad you like it – I'm doing my best to update quickly! (see the author's note at the beginning… ;) )

**Louisa: **Yes…we will see, won't we? I know you got at least a few of those questions right! Hehehe…

**Darcel****: Thankee much – enjoy this next one as well!**

**MelissaAdams****: Glad you like what I've done – but where's the fun in them getting caught??? ;)**

**Nancy****: Payoff schmayoff. You'll just have to wait. And OF COURSE Fred has a winning smile… lol I had to be careful there not to turn this story into a Marion/Fred one… lol!**

**Luna Elentari: **…I'm an author supreme? Wow! Hehehe… I'm absolutely tickled! And no, I haven't gotten the chance to read your story yet – like I said before, it's been a rough few weeks… BUT. In three days, it will all be over, and I'll have a little free time to read it! But don't worry – I will!

**Polkat****: Yes, FanFiction.net IS addictive, isn't it? Glad you like my story – only encourages me to go on. And as for Lucius, NO I wasn't ignoring you… It's just that you reviewed for a different chapter and I usually respond to the reviews for the last chapter – so I simply forgot to answer. So Lucius is NOT dead, but he's as good as. He's in Azkaban, and I don't remember if I directly said that in the beginning or not. But now you know. ;)**

**MagiKittie****: Wow! What an honor! I'm quite pleased to be added to your favorites list! I hope I can uphold your good opinion of me…**

**Sabriel4: **I must say I think your review is my favorite ever – don't quite know what it was but something you said made me very thankful that you'd reviewed…lol As for Bill and Charlie, well, I love the Weasley family, so I'm sure we'll be seeing a little bit more of them. And I'm quite familiar with the movie, (actually, it's not Audrey you hear singing, did you know that? They recorded over her at the last moment – without her knowledge!) and I have to say I quite agree with you. I did sort of reverse the effect there, didn't I? The sad thing is I did it without any knowledge of it… lol! DARN it! I _knew _something was wrong with that phrase…but _carpe dium _didn't show up as wrong on my spell check, so I figured I was okay. It was one of those days when you can't seem to spell anything right… lol! 

Wow. That was the most reviews yet! Keep 'em coming, all, I LOVE them! And now, on to the story! LOL!

            Ginny eyed her brothers cautiously. "I think you'd better-"

            "Bill! How _dare _you play this sort of _juvenile game with me! Come here and discuss this like a MAN!" Percy hollered from the bottom of the stairs, and the four of them turned to see him, glasses askew, eyes bloodshot, and spit flying from his mouth as he yelled. A hush fell over the upstairs. George pushed Bill forward slightly._

            "Go on then Bill, go…discuss…" Putting on his most charming smile, Bill sauntered down the stairs. 

            "Right then, Perce. Why don't we 'discuss' this over a cup of tea and some scones, eh?" Charlie snickered as they disappeared, and Ginny turned back to them.

            "Really though – what did he give Percy?"

            "An Erratic Scarab Beetle."

            "A _what_?"

            "Erratic Scarab Beetle – people tend to keep them purely for the sake of decoration, but no one knows what they're actually good for. They have completely random magical qualities…erratic, you see. I think there are…how many, George?"

            "Seven hundred and thirty-one."

            "Right. Seven hundred and thirty-one recorded magical properties, but like I said, they're completely random." Ginny didn't even want to know how her brothers knew all of this. "Well, Percy took his to work to show off, of course, and it uh…enlarged until it shattered its glass cage. Then it decided to go invisible, and apparently its fire-consuming; one minute Percy was closing a deal with the Finnish Dept. of Magical Liaisons, and the next, Johan Finglebjort's head was gone, along with the flames." Charlie smiled apologetically.

            "Needless to say, Percy wasn't too happy…" George tried to control the grin that had been spreading deviously across his face. Ginny tutted. 

            "You boys… will you EVER grow up?!" 

"NO!" Various cries of protest echoed throughout the house as her brothers answered her. She threw her hands up in exasperation and started up the stairs to her room.

            A week had passed, and Draco still had no idea as to how he should get back at the Weaselette for her stunt at the Manor. It was irritating him to Hell and back, and if there was one thing a Malfoy hated, it was to be bothered by a Weasley. He had sulked around the house for the past few days, muttering under his breath, and had scared a scullery maid away from the house with his glare. Only when he realized that he was becoming reminiscent of his father did he curb his rage.

            Draco was walking towards the kitchen to grab some food when he heard voices coming from the sitting room. He recognized his mother's, but couldn't place the second one. He'd always had a rather curious streak, so he edged towards the slightly open door to hear what was going on.

            "…Minister has been elected for another term – cause for celebration, of course!" The other voice was that of a woman, but still, Draco couldn't put a name to it. At the mention of the Minister, he grimaced, and turned to go, when something caught his ear. "Naturally thought I'd come to the very best – everyone knows how magnificent your parties are! Would you consider it?"

            "Why, I'd be absolutely honored!" Draco heard his mother say. "I'll begin on the preparations immediately. You'll have a guest list, then?" The neatly oiled wheels in Draco's head began to whir. _Party…Mother's planning a party…for the Minister… That was it! If the party was for the Minister, all Ministry employees would be invited to attend, of course… and then he, Draco, could get the young Weaselette on there – and voila! Revenge was his. Resisting the urge to chuckle evilly, Draco slunk away into the kitchen, rubbing his hands together. Oh…he'd forgotten how good it felt to be evil._

            "GINNY! POST!" Someone was bellowing up at Ginny where she lay daydreaming on her bed, avoiding the call of the outside world. This past week had brought many worries with it; the cat was still shrunken, and was so afraid of being fixed that it had taken to hiding in impossible places, which made their mother irritable. While her birthday was swell, she was still a lighted fuse, ready to explode. Ginny had also realized that the time had come for her to look for a (gasp) job. She couldn't continue living off of her parents, even with her father's raise. They simply had too much to handle to be supporting a fully grown child of theirs. Her parents had impressed upon her a few days ago the need for her to focus on a career. She could keep living at home, as long as she brought in her own income.

            Percy had been there too – he'd been trying to convince her to join the Ministry, and take a job under him. The past week had been hard on him, too. _Poor bloke, Ginny thought. __He's had a rough few days… Penny had come storming back to the Burrow, demanding to see Percy, and forced him to call his 'friend', Zoe, over. After a few hours of yelling and tugging on Percy's arms, the truth had come out – Zoe had indeed thrown herself at the poor fellow, leaving him quite unable to escape, and at that unfortunate moment, Penelope had walked in. Needless to say, the two women did not part happily, and Percy later admitted to his furious fiancée that he really, in all honesty, had only met Zoe once._

            Anyway, Ginny was avoiding the troubles of the real world, and had been hoping to stay sprawled out on her bed, gazing at her ceiling (enchanted to show fairytale scenes across it – from her younger days) for hours on end. But she'd been found. 

            "GINNY!"

            "I'M COMING!" She hollered, tearing her eyes away from Prince Charming and the glass coffin of Snow White to mutter her way down the stairs. "Can't a person get any _privacy _here?" She glared around the kitchen at her remaining brothers. (Bill and Charlie had left a few days before) Fred and George grinned jauntily and continued to butter their toast, while Ron avoided her gaze. "Oh, just give me the letters…" She snatched them off of the table and began to flip through them.

            _Wave Your Wand to Earn A Brand New Cauldron! Only residents of Kent, Yor… Junk mail…_

            _Witch Weekly: A magical solution to those secret ailments… That will have to be looked at in private…_

            _Climb your way up the ladder of success by applying here TODAY! …Ginny looked at the brochure in surprise. She had certainly never sent for an application to this place…what was it, anyway? A cruise-line? As if…_

            _You are cordially invited…Just as she started to toss it aside, the words _Malfoy___ Manor caught her eye. __What in the world…? Ginny glanced around the room, then headed quickly for the stairs._

            "Where are you going, Gin? You just got down here!" Ron looked up from his breakfast.

            "Uh… private letter. I'd rather read it away from your prying eyes." With that she disappeared up the stairs, leaving her brothers looking curious and worried at the same time.

**Author's Note: Dun dun duuuuuuun! (Haha I seem to be ending a lot of my parts like that recently, don't I?) What in the world is in that letter? Come back next time to find out…. (Sorry guys, this one wasn't quite up to par, but I wanted to get you all a part – it's been a while since my last one… )**


	14. It isn't easy being Evil

**Author's Note: **Okay. So I have NO idea what was up with Fanfiction.net for a while…but a lot of reviews only showed up in my email.

            I, unfortunately, assuming that they also showed up _here, didn't save them…. So there are only a few reviews that I have saved for this last chapter, and in the interest of saving time and not leaving anyone out…THANK YOU EVERYONE for reviewing. I got quite a few for this last chapter, and that always makes me happy. Especially since a lot of them were new readers – always good. _

            Oh! And quite a few of you complained that the last chapter was too short – my apologies. I try not to make them too short, but sometimes my schedule is a bit tight and I cut them off so that you guys can have a part. So _be grateful. *glares* Teehee. Anyway. On with the show!_

            Back up in her room, Ginny threw herself on her bed and tore the seal off of her letter.

_Miss Virginia Weasley,_

_You are cordially invited to a gala in celebration of the re-election of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. No guests please, as this gala is invitation only._

_Your presence is requested at half-past nine on Thursday, the 14th of July at the Malfoy Manor._

_Please respond immediately._

            And here it was stamped with the Malfoy crest.

            Ginny was fuming. How _dare _he! What was he playing at, inviting her to another party?! Did he honestly think that she'd say yes? Well, he thought wrong. All she had to do was return the invitation with a cordial 'No thank you, I'd rather stuff my wand up my-'

            "Ginny?" …_why do they do __this to me?_

            "Yes?" 

            "Come on down for breakfast, dear!" Muttering, Ginny tossed aside the invitation with a glare, and stuck her tongue out angrily at Little Red Riding Hood, who was skipping her way across her ceiling. Stomping angrily down the stairs, Ginny reached the kitchen in a huff. Her family glanced at her in alarm as she threw herself into a chair and grabbed a piece of toast off of Ron's plate.

            "_What?" She snapped, through a full mouth. Mrs. Wealsey pursed her lips. She hated it when her children were rude – and technically Ginny was no longer a child, though she was certainly acting like one at the moment, so this made it worse._

            "Virginia, you-"

            "Molly?" Mr. Weasley stuck his head out of the living room where he'd been talking with someone in the fireplace. "Molly don't forget – the Pearsons are coming over today. We might want to spiff the place up a bit." Mrs. Weasley whirled about to face her children.

            "Did you all hear that? We're having company. So you two," she pointed at Ginny and Ron. "Outside for the rest of the morning – I want to clean!" Ginny scowled and Ron looked sideways at her edgily. "And you two, you…" Mrs. Weasley blinked at the twins. "…Why are you here, anyway?" Ginny looked up and wondered as well – the twins had their own apartment over their joke shop in Diagon Alley, and while they stayed over sometimes, they certainly hadn't the night before. They grinned.

            "George wouldn't cook breakfast."

            "I don't like to cook!"

            "And I was hungry."

            "Nothing like a home-cooked meal!"

            "So we thought-"

            "-why not come home for breakfast?"

            "Not like you noticed, anyway," Fred winked.

            "Besides, we love our mummy!" George simpered in a sickeningly sweet voice as he and Fred advanced, arms outstretched, to give their 'mummy' a hug.

            "Good lord, not now," Mrs. Weasley chuckled, pushing them away. "Alright, you two, take some food and get on with you!" She shooed them away. "Are you finished?" she asked Ron and Ginny. Without waiting for an answer she whisked their plates away. "Outside! Now! I don't care what you do but stay away from this house while I clean!" And with that she jostled them outside. Ginny turned and glared at the house, and Ron hastily moved away.

            "Er, I'll just…go… de-gnome the garden…"

            Draco Malfoy rubbed his palms together in true evil spirit. His revenge was getting the better of him. He had less than a week to plan it all out, and he wanted everything to go perfectly. He would embarrass her, of course, as she had embarrassed him; make her feel out of place, unwanted, that sort of thing. Then he might throw in a little bit of subtle insults – only ones which she would recognize, to provoke her into creating a scene. It all played out so wonderfully in his mind…

            "Ah, here's the lad!" Draco's eyes jerked open. He'd been stretched out on his large bed, imagining what he would do once he got Weasley to the party. Then he heard a familiar voice, a dreaded voice, and he was absolutely seething.

            "Minister?"

            "Draco, my boy! So glad to see you, so glad… heard about my re-election of course – very proud, yes, very proud. Public knows what's good for them, if you ask me; glad they didn't trust some nobody with such a high profile job, goodness me…" The Minister of Magic kept going on, congratulating himself on his re-election while Draco stared at him in stony silence.

            "Is there something I can do for you?"

            "AH. Right. Well, you see, I was just coming by to drop off the complete guest list so that your mother – lovely woman to do this, isn't she? – could make the seating chart for dinner. However," the Minister craned his neck, looking around. "I don't seem to see her…" His voice trailed off hopefully. Draco continued to stare at him, hoping he could drive him away by sheer force of will. Fudge cleared his throat. "Right. Well, since she doesn't seem to be around, I'll just hand _you _the guest list. I trust that you'll keep it safe, eh?" He winked. Draco stared. "Well, I'll just be on my way then! See you in a few days, lad!" Draco waited until the Minister was halfway down the hall before calling for the house-elf.

            "BITSY!" The small creature skidded into the room and promptly slammed the door after the minister. "Thank you. You may go."

            Draco picked up the guest list. He scanned it, noting with satisfaction that Virginia Weasley's name was close to the top. Her parents had been invited as well, but had tactfully declined; Draco admired them just the slightest for this – he knew that they despised Fudge. Suddenly, a malicious thought wormed its way into his mind… _Why shouldn't I…_tweak _the seating chart to sit the Weaselette next to me? … That would make my plan go much _smoother…_Draco began to chuckle. He felt so… malevolent. It was a rather exhilarating feeling. Another thought snuck into his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. _Maybe it's easier to hate her than to…No._ He shook his head to clear it, and grinning, went to show his mother the guest list._


	15. Time for The Plan

**Author's Note:** Right. So I've been away on vacation with my family in hot, sticky, thunderstormy Ohio. And while it was great fun, I missed you guys and this story! So here it is, my first day back, and I'm writing more for all of you. FanFiction is being a dork and not loading properly, however, so I don't know if I'll be able to post it until later. On to the reviews! (Note- since I can't load my FanFiction page, I don't know if I'm missing people, so PLEASE accept my apologies if I'm missing anyone.)

**Luna Elentari: **Yes, a Weasley and a Malfoy together during dinner… I wonder how that will turn out… ;)

**Erry:** Thanks for reviewing! I hope I can meet your standards again with this chapter!

**LilyAmongTheThorns: **Glad you liked it- keep reading!

**Elbereth: **Awww... thankee much for the review! As for the twins…they're my favorite material, so I'm glad they came across right! Let's see if I can make this next chapter live up to your expectations…

**Voided: **Thank you so much! I'm sorry I wasn't able to update sooner, but I had no computer access… L And I bet you're not the only one willing to take Draco off of Ginny's hands… *coughcough* I'm really glad you enjoy my story!

**Acidity: **Not to worry! I fully intend to follow through with this story, even if I'm a little sporadic with my updates. Please keep reading!

**Polkat: **Blackmail? Hmm… that is an idea, isn't it? Even I haven't decided what she's going to do yet… Guess you'll find out when I do! lol! 

**Jenni:** Oh great… now how can I live up to that last chapter? lol… I know! If I put a little Bill in it… ;)

**WildChild: **Ohhh yes! I'm excited about the party too!

**LynxKitty111: **Don't let the suspense kill you, I'm not done yet!

**MelissaAdams: **Thanks, as usual… ;)

**Nancy****: If you make me read you this next chapter… I'll throttle you. ;)**

**New Reader: **Awww…. I feel so honored that you picked my fanfic out of all of the ones you could have read out there! Change the PG-13 rating…why… that would simply be _scandalous… lol _

Again, if I missed people in that, I'm terribly sorry- I was going by what I had in my email, you know… And I'm well aware that you're all waiting for Draco and Ginny to hook up…but you'll just have to wait and see when they decide to make it happen… ;) On to the story!

            Ginny scowled. There was no way that she was going to this party. Her mother had found the invitation while cleaning her room, and confronted her about it.

            "Ginny? Have you replied to this, dear?" She had asked her, lips pursed and eyebrow arching as she dared her daughter to give the wrong answer. Ginny had sighed.

            "Not yet Mum… I'm going to, don't worry!" She had said hastily. "I'm just not sure if I want to go." 

            "Well, your father and I aren't going because we can't stand to be around that pompous, stuffed-shirt of a- ahem," she cleared her throat. "…because we don't want to spend the night with Fudge. However, your father and I were discussing this, and we think that it's a _good idea_," Here she paused, and glared at Ginny significantly before continuing. "if you attend. _Seeing _as you have no job," her mother had said hastily, as Ginny opened her mouth to protest, "it would be in your best interest to mingle with some of the Ministry officials and see if you can't land yourself some sort of employment." With that, her mother had handed her the invitation and pursed her lips once more, leaving Ginny with the impression that she couldn't have refused the party even if she tried.

            _I am not __going…Maybe I'll just tell _them I'm going and then- no, Dad will talk to people from the Ministry…_Damn __it! Ginny simply couldn't think of a way to get out of it. Her mother would have her head if she didn't go, and even Draco Malfoy stood a chance as a more welcome evening than one with an angry Molly Weasley._

            Ginny was sitting on a stump in the backyard, chewing on her lip in desperation, when she saw a tall figure come into the garden. It was followed by a smaller one, and they both stopped suddenly upon seeing her. Ginny turned to face Hermione and her brother.

            "What do you want?" she snapped, and without waiting for an answer, she stalked out of the yard quickly, having realized that they probably wanted the garden for their own uses… she decided that her parents' guests were probably gone by this point, and all she wanted to do was sit in her room and figure out how to get out of the party. She tried the front door, but it was locked; even a spell wouldn't fix it, so Ginny figured her mother must have padlocked it several times from the inside. She sighed again. Her life just kept on improving, didn't it?

            "_Accio bag!"__  Ginny deftly caught her old school bag, still containing parchment and quills, as it came soaring through her half-open window onto the lawn. "Well… the only thing to do is accept, I suppose…" She took out a roll of parchment, and ripping off a piece, tried to string together some half-decent words. Finally she came up with a very simple, direct reply, in which no malice could be detected._

            _I'll be there. –Ginny (she had to resist the urge to add 'scumbag' to the end)_

            Ginny was able to coax Errol, who was miraculously still alive, out of the house, and sent him off with her reply. Running her hand through her hair, she shot an angry look at the kitchen. _I am _never _going to forgive you guys for this one…_

            Draco was sprawled ungracefully in a chair on one of the manor's many patios later that day, trying to escape the intense heat of the afternoon. Glaring into the house, he voiced (yet again, these servant were so _slow) his desire for something to     quench his thirst._

            "Isn't there any _ice _in this house?" he bellowed, his voice echoing off of the walls. Grumbling, he shifted his position so that his left leg was draped over the arm of the chair. Suddenly, a large, dishevled-looking owl came into view; it was headed straight for Draco. He watched it with increasing interest until it was a few feet away from his face, with no intention of stopping. It appeared to be unconscious. Quickly, he put up his hands and skillfully caught the animal; skills left from his Quidditch days at Hogwarts. It was Virginia Weasley's reply to the invitation.

            "Well, well, well… what have we here?" Draco unfolded the piece of parchment to find:

            _I'll be there. –Ginny_

Draco had to admit, he was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected her to reply so promptly, and if so, he had imagined a long-winded, harsh_'raco unfolded the piece of parchment to find:_

_s. the animal', with no intention of stopping. It appeared to be unconcious.t ar retort. But he couldn't really complain, could he? His plan was fitting into place. His mother had readily agreed to let Virginia sit next to him; in fact, he had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to try and set them up. He chuckled, and tossed the paper onto the table in front of him, only just noticing that his drink had finally been brought out. Oh…what a night this was going to be. Draco downed his drink and strolled languidly into the house, humming a tune he couldn't place._

Her mother _still wasn't letting her into the house. Ginny was going to throw something through one of the windows and sneak in. She would have climbed through hers long ago, but her mum wasn't dim, and had secured all of the windows already. She headed for the back garden, one of her favorite spots, before realizing that she hadn't seen Ron and Hermione at all since they walked back there. Turning around, she racked her brain for something to do. ___

_Well… I imagine they'll want me to look presentable at this dinner party thing…she thought, a slight smile playing about her lips. _I don't believe anything I own is quite fancy enough- and I've already worn that brown dress…I suppose it would be acceptable for me to do a little shopping._ Ginny shrugged, always up for a bit of shopping, and disapparated with a pop._

            Draco found himself so eager to set his plans into motion that he was actually helping the servants on the night of the dinner party. He had been hovering around them as they set places at the table in the dining hall, and it was only when the housekeeper turned and gave him a glare worthy of his old teacher, Professor McGonagall, that he realized he was making a ridiculous pest of himself. He went to settle himself in a side room, tapping his hands on his knees in anticipation, and he watched a tall grandfather clock tick slowly back and forth. His excitement was beginning to irritate him; the past day or so he'd been having trouble distinguishing his enthusiasm for The Plan, and the slight excitement he felt whenever Virginia Weasley's name was mentioned. As he watched the pendulum of the clock sway back and forth, Draco sighed, and settled back into the sofa to wait until the party began.

He woke with a start. The tall clock in front of him was chiming very loudly – Draco checked and saw that it was nine o'clock already. He had fallen asleep, and dinner started in half an hour. Frazzled, he jumped up and ran into he hall, almost smashing into one of the maids. Snarling at her to get out of the way, Draco dashed up to his room to get dressed. His plan was about to take form.

**Author's Note: I apologize for the weird typos in the middle of Draco's experience with the owl – I couldn't get it to appear right on FanFiction – it's fine on Word… I'm hoping it's just my computer, but I'M SORRY!**


	16. Self Control

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I wrote some more, and I know that this chapter will leave everyone a little bit angry at me, I'm _sorry_, but I had to do it. Wow, I got a lot of reviews for that last chapter! Great! Alright then, on to the thank you's…

**Louisa:** You know I love the fact that you read my story, gal… This chapter may just irritate your need for some action even further… *innocent look*

**Dan Fan: **I'm glad you love it! I'm doing my best to update every week or so…

**Lily-among-the-thorns-89: **She did indeed say yes… and I'll try and update every week.

**SK8ER Gurl: ** Chuckling evilly along with Draco? Not a bad thing. I'm sure we've all done it at some point or another…

**Jenni: **….The Plan. Mwahahahaaaa! Yes, it does sound terribly evil, doesn't it? *grins wickedly*

**Wild Child: **…You think _that _was a teaser? Wait until you see this next chapter…

**KuTiExAzNxAnGeL: **Glad you like it! Here's the next chapter!

**Polkat: **I'm _sorry about that owl passage… I couldn't get it to fix itself. It's really not that hard though, you just have to overlook all of the italics. Bah. Stupid computer. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it, and I'm doing my best to get updates up quickly. J_

**Darcel: **You live in Ohio? Where? I used to live there (which is why we were visiting), near Dayton. And I remember Ohio summers being the worst kind _ever. Glad you're still reading. ;)_

**Crystal****: I don't really email people when I update, since I usually am updating in a hurry, but I'm very happy you like the story, and I hope you continue to read.**

**Luna-Elentari: **Hehehe, I'm very glad you liked that chapter. Yes, the party should be interesting, to say the least, but I doubt it will turn out the way anyone had planned. And the Ohio trip wasn't really that bad… I was just being whiny. I actually enjoyed myself. I hope you have a good time! (Have? Had? Whichever…)

**MoI: **Another new reader! Always a good thing. Wow, I'm impressed that you read all fifteen chapters at once… And I'm even more surprised that my writing didn't bore you… lol!

**Kneh13: **Yes, he is kind of like that, isn't he? But in typical guy fashion, of course, Draco is being a dork… *rolls eyes*

**MelissaAdams: **I don't _mean to keep you in suspense, it's just – oh wait… yes I do… *great big grin*_

**NavyGirl14: **Wow, thank you for the compliments! Here's the update you were hoping for, and I hope that you keep reading!

**Nancy****: Er… I dunno if I'll be able to read you this one. It'd turn into more of me mumbling incomprehensively while blushing furiously. And giggling. Gotta have the giggling. It's up to you this time. ;)**

**UMIFIREFLY15: **Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy it!

**Cynthetic: **You read all fifteen chapters at once too? Good for you! lol! Yeah, I realize I can get a bit out of character sometimes… I try not to.

**Liq0urish: **…whoa. That's my first threat. Guess I'd better get a move on, eh? But don't become addicted to my poor little story! It's so hard to let go once they're over… ;)

**Ali: **Thanks! And Harry? …I'm not sure… maybe I'll set him up with someone, maybe not. He's not really the focus of this story. He'll come into play a little bit more, but I don't know if I'm going to take the time to set him up with anyone. Besides… maybe he's _happy _on his own… ;) lol!

**Elbereth: **You? Overreacting? Not like I didn't do it for your story… lol! And action? You want _action? _…Well I can't guarantee anything, but… J I'll do my best.

**Karen: **I don't mind at all! At least you're still reading! And yeah, life gets in the way for all of us… ;)

**A-broken-heart-still-beats: **Can't wait for the party? Hehehe… neither can I… J

            *Phew* Lots of reviews! This was great, you guys! You know I love reviews, I eat 'em right up! Okay, so what's that? You want more story? Hmm…well I _did kind of notice a theme along those lines in the reviews… I guess I'll just have to give it to you! Enjoy! (And please… don't hate me…)_

            Draco fairly sprinted up the four flights of stairs to his room, and skidded inside. Bisty had already laid out the clothes which Draco had chosen earlier that day, but he didn't change into them right away. He felt a bit unclean after such a hot, sticky day, and even though he had already bathed that morning, he was compelled to take another shower. At first he moved quickly, rushing into his bathroom and jumping into the shower. But once he was in there… the water was so warm, and so relaxing… he figured he'd have a few extra minutes. _They won't eat for a while yet, anyway_, he reasoned.

            About fifteen minutes later, Draco stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. He dried his hair roughly with it, and then wrapped it around his waist. As he walked past the full-length mirror on his way out of the bathroom, Draco automatically checked his reflection. (A Malfoy must always look one's best… it works wonders.) His hair was sticking up at odd angles, reminding him of Potter's. Instinctively, he reached up to fix it, but decided to wait until he was fully dressed. (**A/N: yeah, just a mean little reminder that he _isn't _fully dressed… ;) ) He was walking into his bedroom when he heard voices. Surprised, he stopped, and listened curiously.**

            "I'm telling you; you, Draco, and I are going to be the youngest ones here; we have to stick together!" Draco recognized Tony Leoni's voice (**A/N: **he's baaack!), and a sudden anxiety pulsed through him. If that was Tony, and he was talking to the other person their age… Draco had to grip the door frame briefly to keep him from scrambling back into the bathroom. (A _highly un-Malfoyish thing to do, he told himself sternly.) He was suddenly feeling the slightest bit _self conscious_, if you will. Almost immediately, however, he recovered. Remembering The Plan, Draco squared his shoulders. __Make her trust you first, he reminded himself, __so that it hurts more in the end. Good people are so __easy to toy with… Taking a deep breath, he strolled languidly into his room, letting the towel slip down to his hips as he entered._

            Sure enough, Virginia was there. She was chatting with Tony, who was perched on the edge of Draco's bed. Both looked up as he walked in; Draco forced himself to look mildly surprised. 

            "Tony! Miss Weasley! To what do I owe this pleasure?" he grinned, inclining his head at both of them, and trying not to think about Virginia and pleasure in the same context.

            He felt like the world had stopped spinning when he looked at her. If he though that she had been even remotely attractive at his birthday party, then tonight it was not Virginia Weasley, but Helen herself standing in front of him.

            She was wearing a dress of the palest green; a close-fitting, simple dress, with thin straps. (It was also quite flatteringly low-cut; Draco couldn't help but notice…) The color made her fiery hair seem even more radiant, and that in turn brought out her blue eyes. Draco's mouth had gone dry in that split second, and he swallowed rather hastily.

            "Draco, my friend!" Tony exclaimed, moving forward as though to kiss his cheeks again, as he had done at the earlier party. Draco quickly fiddled with his towel to avoid the greeting, and Tony ended up merely clapping him on the back. "I met the lovely Miss Weasley downstairs," Virginia blushed slightly. Draco tried not to look at her. "and suggested that we come find you – as we are the only guests of our age," Tony grinned. Draco had a hard time not rolling his eyes. He was fond of Tony, they had been childhood friends, but he could be so _irritating. _

            "Hello, Draco," said Virginia softly. It was the first thing she had said, and Draco reluctantly dragged his eyes back towards hers.

            Ginny could not believe that Tony had done this to her. Well, yes, she could… how was he supposed to know that Draco would be half-undressed in his bedroom when they came in? Not like he cared; Ginny supposed seeing Draco Malfoy clad in only a towel wasn't as traumatizing for him as it was for her. And it _was _traumatizing. This was _Draco Malfoy_ – the most obnoxious, irritating, and self-centered guy she'd ever met. He was even worse than Ron! Secondly, (and Ginny couldn't stop the blush, but she managed to control the giggle that was trying to escape her) this was no longer the scrawny Seeker that she knew from her childhood. Draco was not _built, but his muscles (those that she could see) were long and toned; he was tall and lean, and while his chest was not 'chiseled', it was obviously packed with muscle. Ginny had to use every ounce of self control she possessed to keep from opening her mouth and either saying something incredibly stupid… or drooling. __Hey, I never denied that he was a great piece of eye-candy… She licked her lips, carefully choosing her words._

            "Hello, Draco," His eyes met hers. Ginny almost fell over. This was _not _going the way that it was supposed to; she was supposed to be able to come and either ignore him completely, or cause him to make a total fool of himself… not succumb to lust! _That's _not _what I'm doing, she told herself sternly. _Aren't I allowed to look at a nice piece of meat – I mean man – Er, Malfoy…__

_            Damn. I _do _want him. But it's purely appearance-based! _Now panicking, she found herself starting to play with the fabric of her dress, hardly able to keep her eyes from traveling down towards Draco's slim hips, where the towel rested. She forced herself to look up, instead.

            Big mistake.

            His hair was damp and slightly clumpy, sticking up in the manner that had always been on of Harry's most attractive attributes. Her palms were starting to sweat slightly now, as her eyes forced themselves away from his hair and onto his chest. She was close enough that she could see the water droplets that still clung to his bare torso. Ginny felt like she was about to faint from the overwhelming situation; her, in Draco Malfoy's room, with the aforementioned person only half-dressed. _At least I'd be able to use it as an excuse to get home, she fretted._

            All of these observations and thoughts had blurred together in a time span of about five seconds. Ginny was jolted back to reality when a voice drifted up the stairs.

            "Tony? Tony where are you?"

            "Oh! That'll be Ma," Tony said, excusing himself.

            _Please don't leave me alone with him, please don't leave me alone with him, please don't leave – aaah._ Desperately, Ginny watched Tony trot down the stairs. Chewing nervously on her lip, she turned her panicked gaze back to Draco. He was leaning against the wall near her. _Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh – _

"So. It's just you and me now, Virginia."


	17. Things that go BUMP in the Night

**Author's Note: **Wowee… Lots of reviews for that last chapter. Lots of angry reviews hinting at mobs chasing me down with pitchforks… lol! Well, don't worry. Here's your next chapter. Though I'm not sure yet if it's going to have what you all want in it. I severely doubt it. *big grin* Enjoy!

**Lily-among-the-thorns-89:** …yes… Draco in a towel… *drifts off into reverie* **Nancy****: You're watching the Plan fly out the window too? *snicker* I feel so evil. Like… I'm dubbing this section… MY Plan.** KuTiExAzNxAnGeL: **Glad you're enjoying it… ****Darcel****: Really? I know exactly where that is… I used to live in Troy. **Ali: **Heh… don't we all? But I, for one, would probably be dumbstruck, and just stand there until someone dragged me away. ;) **DanFan******: Okay, okay! Calm down… lol! Here you go! **MelissaAdams******: …You know, people keep telling Ginny that, and she just doesn't _listen._ ****Louisa: LOL I know you do… First it's Harry, then Draco… what next? Tony in a towel? Lol! ****Dragon Eyes: Short and sweet, aren't you? lol always a good thing. ****ProfTrelawny****: Hehehe… I know. It's so thick you'd have to cut it with a chainsaw. **A-broken-heart-still-beats: **I'll definitely check out your stuff when I get a chance! I'm a little short on time at the moment, but when I have some free time, I'll try and look at it! **Pumpkinpiebaby******: You're still here! Haven't seen any reviews from you for a while… Don't be livid! Half the time I'm yelling at _myself for leaving it there… lol! _****NavyGirl14: Absolutely correct. Helen of Troy. But I didn't want to go into the entire thing, so I assumed that my readers would know what I was talking about. Or at least, I hoped. J ****Polkat****: LOL You have a thing for the 'L's, don't you? Lucius, Lockheart, Lupin… ;) And yeah… I had kind of forgotten what I did with Lucius – I do that sometimes… lol! And Tony _is great, isn't he? Heh… I rather like him myself. _****Oua**: **Awww, don't stress yourself checking back every day – It usually takes me about a week to get another chapter up… but I'm so glad you like it! **DarkestMaeve******: Wait! Don't report me! I promise by the end my poor audience _will _have some satisfaction! As for Draco being built… I personally love those tall, lean guys… J And there's a looong waiting list for the tour of Draco's quarters… ;) **BlackMage******: Aaack! I know it's been a while, I'm sorry! I was really busy this week, or I _truly would have updated sooner… forgive me? **Jenni**_****: On to the towel dropping, eh? Hear hear! Maybe I'll just make Draco _accidentally let it slip… *evil grin* _****Luna Elentari: Hehehe, glad to hear Ohio is okay… I was drooling too, during that part. J ****FemmeDraconis****: It was very cliffhangerish, wasn't it? Hope you enjoy this next one! ****Aidenfire****: WOW. You read ALL those chapters in one day. I mean… wow! One minute I had no email, and the next, there were sixteen wonderful reviews! Thanks! **LittleShyGirl******: How? It's really quite simple. Unplug the keyboard before your fingers can keep going in the direction the rest of you wants to go… ;) ****AngelGirl1: Hahaha… I know, it makes me love him ten times more…**

            *Phew* That was some response to this last chapter, guys! And I _know you all currently hate me, and I __promise that by the time this story is over, you will not hate me anymore. Well, you might have other reasons, but you won't hate me for the same reason you came after me for that last chapter! And again, I apologize for the lack of story this past week – I was house-sitting, and had no computer access… So please forgive me? Right. ON TO THE STORY!_

            Draco could hardly contain his glee. Here was Virginia Weasley, standing there looking gorgeous in _his _bedroom, (Well, he couldn't exactly say that she didn't look gorgeous, could he?) practically swooning from his perfect build. How much better could it get? _In terms of the Plan, of course, he justified hurriedly, feeling he needed to keep some sort of malice running through him before he melted through the floor from the way that she was looking at him. Casually, as she watched Tony excuse himself, Draco leaned against the wall next to her; _ever _so graciously. When she turned back around and saw him so close, her eyes were about the size of Bitsy's. Draco smirked inwardly._

            "So. It's just you and me now, Virginia." At the sound of his voice, she seemed to jump, and her eyes widened (if possible) even more.

            "Oh? It is? How… how surprising!" When she spoke, her voice was considerably higher than normal, and she sounded almost panicked. Draco faltered a bit. What did she think he was going to do, tear off her bodice and ravish her right there?

            Did he just think that?

_            Hoooly – Wait. Deep breath. It's just a simple physical attraction. You admitted to yourself at the first party that she was gorgeous, so just don't do anything stupid._

            "Yes," he lowered his voice, and inched closer. "How delightfully surprising."

            _Like that. You moron._

            Virginia was staring up at him, eyes locked, and Draco was ready to completely chuck The Plan out the window. What did he care about revenge, anyway? All he wanted to do right now was see if those pretty lips were really as soft and silky as they looked. And then, he wanted to – _The Plan, the Plan, the Plan… _Draco started chanting this frantically in the back of his mind, willing himself not to do what he was about to. Within a split second, however, the chant had changed itself to '_Screw the Plan, screw the Plan, screw the Pl – '  He had been leaning forward, still staring into Virginia's eyes, and was mere centimeters away from her face when he heard a sharp intake of breath, and suddenly she was backing up rather hastily._

            "Virginia?" he inquired softly, trying not to alarm her any more than he already had. _Kind of ironic, in fact, seeing as the whole evening was supposed to revolve around your making her miserable, a nasty voice in the back of his head whispered. Mentally he beat it to a pulp._

            She was still staring at him, slightly shaking her head, and seemingly at a loss for words. He took a step forward, and as he did so she jumped, and smashed right into his mahogany armoire.

            "Ohh…" Ginny moaned, massaging the spot where her head had connected with the top of Draco's wardrobe. What _exactly had been about to happen there, anyway? Surely her mind was playing some kind of cruel trick on her, and Draco was actually still standing there talking to Tony. She opened her eyes and looked around. When she saw Draco looking at her with what could almost be described as concern, she winced. __He's probably worried that I dented this slab of tree, she glowered, rubbing her head. __Even if I wasn't imagining all that, there's no _way a Malfoy like him would want someone… like me. _As she thought this, Ginny began to realize what she was slowly admitting to herself. _Well, he hasn't been the horrible prat he used to be! _She rationalized, trying to give herself _some _excuse for her behavior._

            "…Are you alright?" Malfoy was asking her, pulling her away from the armoire and sitting her down on his bed.

            _On his bed…Ginny shook her head furiously, avoiding all possible connections to the next part of that thought. Then she saw him looking at her worriedly, and realized that her action had indicated that she _wasn't _okay._

            "Oh, I mean, yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just a bump. I'll be okay," she sputtered hurriedly. Draco seemed to be assessing the damage on his own, however. Ginny could feel his hands working gently on her scalp, to find the area she had hit. When he reached the spot, she couldn't help but wince. It _hurt! _

            "Like hell you're alright… You're already getting a bump there – maybe you should… lie down?" he suggested timidly, apparently not wanting to startle her into thinking anything other than that he was trying to help. Even so, as she realized that he was indicating he own bed, her heart skipped a beat.

            "Uh… uh… no, that's not necessary… I'll be fine. Besides, dinner's waiting, we wouldn't want to keep you from your guests," She half-hoped he would take his hand off of her head; it made her nervous. A low chuckle filled the room, and surprised, she looked around to see Draco laughing.

            "They're not here to see me – I don't even know half of them. The only people who will miss me would be my mother and the Minister. And Tony," he added as an afterthought. "But the point is, as long as we're down there by supper, no one will notice anything. So I think you should lie down for a bit. I'll go see how long we have until the meal," And before she could protest, Draco had pushed her down on the bed, slid her shoes off, and covered her with a blanket. She sat up and saw him walking out of his door. "Don't move. I'll be back, and you're not permitted to leave this room until you've gotten some rest," he instructed.

            Ginny almost laughed at how… _protective he sounded. How could she have thought that this boyish guy could be so malicious as to have some sort of miserable trick planned for her tonight? He really had changed. Sighing, she lay back into the many pillows, wiggling until her head found just the right spot. It really did feel better to lie down – she didn't have to concentrate so much on keeping the room from spinning. She'd just lie here at look around until Draco came back… and then they'd go down to – she yawned – they'd go down to dinner._

            What Draco found upon his return was a very pretty girl, fast asleep in his own bed. He watched her from the doorway for a moment, trying to decide what to do.

            She was so innocent and naïve _now_, but he knew that deep down there was still some hatred for him. Especially after the way that she had acted last week. As much as his ridiculous heart was telling him to just accept the fact that he was attracted to her, and leave her be, his shrewd and spiteful head was telling him to follow through with his original plan. Scowling, he took one last, almost longing look at her slightly flushed face, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.


	18. In which Draco is fully clothed

**Author's Note: **I realize that this is going to be a pretty short chapter, and that Draco is a bit out of character and all… but I'm leaving for Scotland for eleven days in… two hours, and I thought that you guys might like to have SOMETHING before I go…

            So while I wish I could acknowledge all of the great reviews that I got, I simply don't have the time. But thank you to EVERYONE for them! I'm over 200 now! So, sit back, make it last as long as you can, and enjoy!

            Draco stood outside his bedroom door for a minute, feeling blissfully wicked and evil. That is, until he looked down. All thoughts of being crowned prince of the Underworld vanished as he realized he was still clad in only a towel. (**A/N: **insert _very _sheepish grin from author here) 

            _Well, _that _explains the strange look the cook was giving me, _Draco mused, rushing back into his room to change before anyone else noticed. _How the hell could I have missed that? _(**A/N: **yes… how?) Then he remembered Virginia's face, and how soft her hair had been when he was feeling around for the bump she had received. _Okay, so that part is understandable…but _STILL!

            Very quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping girl, Draco re-entered his quarters and found a robe. Checking briefly to see if Virginia was still asleep, Draco deftly exchanged the towel for the less revealing robe. He was sifting through his closet for something to wear when he heard a noise to his left.

            Ginny opened her eyes at a faint sound, and immediately located the source. It was a young, lean man with very blonde hair, dressed in a white robe. She half-wondered how she got into a room with such a specimen, when it hit her. That was _Draco._

            …And he was fully clothed. _When did that happen_? She wondered, a trifle disappointed, _And how did I miss it? _That last thought almost caused her to laugh out loud, and she had to stuff her fist in her mouth to keep quiet. _Ginny Weasley, since when did you become so _scandalous? Half her brain marveled. _Since I saw Malfoy in that towel, that's when… _Ginny fought back another wave of giggles, and Draco turned around, having obviously heard her. He arched one eyebrow.

            "Something you find amusing?" he asked her.

            "What? Amusing? No, no… not at all," Ginny lied. "Uh… I see you've found yourself some clothes?"

            …_Tell me I didn't say that out loud._

            Draco flushed a bit, but recovered quickly.

            "Oh, this old thing?" he indicated the robe. "Actually, I was just taking it off," he teased, and toyed with the belt as Ginny determinedly glared. At his _face._

            "As you wish," she shrugged, catching on to the game. " but it's so cold in this bed…" she trailed off suggestively, propping herself up on her elbows in a very… _becoming _position. Now it was Draco's turn to stay focused on her face.

            "Pity," he said, clearing his throat. "This should help." He whipped his wand out, and conjured a very heavy comforter, which nearly flattened Ginny. She scowled at him.

            "Oh, aren't you the clever one? Never mind that," she interrupted Draco as he began to agree with her. "Did you bring me something for this?" she indicated the bump on her head. Draco's eyebrows were raised quite high now.

            "Now you want my help?" Ginny rolled her eyes, exasperated, as he disappeared into a side room for a brief moment, and reappeared a moment later dressed for dinner in dark green dress robes.

            "Never mind," she sighed. "Let's just go to dinner."

            As Virginia swept out of his room, Draco rushed after her, tutting loudly. 

            "Manners, my dear Miss Weasley," he chided, when she turned to face him. "You can't possibly be thinking of attending dinner without an escort, could you?"

            She didn't stay to hear more, but continued down the stairs, yet again leaving Draco to chase after. It was beginning to grate his nerves. He caught up with her on the last few steps, and caught her arm.

            "In this house, Miss Weasley, a dinner guest of the female persuasion is always granted an escort." They stared each other down for a few moments – or rather, Draco stared Virginia down and she stared him UP – before she caved, mumbling under her breath something Draco couldn't quite catch. He decided he didn't want to know.

**Author's Note 2: **Anyway… I realize that this chapter is pretty out of character for Draco, and I'm sorry – I'll patch it up in the next one. I just wanted to get you guys SOMETHING before I left for eleven days. Enjoy!


	19. Oops

**Author's Note: **Hmmm…. So it's only been… how long, since I've updated? *insert seven months' worth of sheepish looks here* I knooow. I'm a terrible author. I'm horrible. I've abandoned my story and let all of you guys down. I didn't mean to! Really! But after I got back from Scotland, I had to get ready to start school, and then a whoooole bunch of stuff happened, including a family accident and some depression issues of my own, and I know that it's no excuse and I'm a very very bad person.

I want to thank ALL of you wonderful readers for reviewing, and sending me little reminders – that's really what made me jump back into this. I want to stress that I have NOT abandoned this story, and I will not – even if my updates become less regular in the future (which I hope they will not). I love writing this story, and I wouldn't want to let any of you down. So, without further ado, here is the latest chapter to My Fair Weasley! (and I'm in "the Zone", so there might be another one up later today, as well… it's only fair to all of you…)

            Ginny dolefully took Draco's arm. He smirked, and strode towards a set of large doors which were thrown open by the servant attending them. 

            The room which they had entered was quite large, but Ginny didn't think it was the ballroom in which Draco's birthday celebration had been held. (Or if it was, its appearance had been altered magnificently.) It was brightly lit by thousands of twinkling candles in gleaming holders, and Ginny could almost see her reflection in the spotless floor. _Maybe they made Draco spit-shine it,_ she sneered, then recoiled at the thought of walking on Malfoy spit.

            At one end of the room, a long, fantastically decorated dining table was set. A maid was carefully inspecting each of the six forks at every place setting for spots. The rest of the room was elegantly, but comfortably, arranged with various settees and sofas, and butlers wandered amongst the guests, serving drinks. A grand piano resided in one corner, and one enthusiastic guest had relieved the pianist of her duties, and Ode to Joy was now tinkling across the room.

            Ginny would have been quite content to sit herself down on one of the sofas and wait for dinner, but Draco held on to her firmly; when she started to drift towards one side of the room, he pulled her gently back and looked at her questioningly.

            "And just where are you taking off to?"

            "…I only wanted to sit down!" Draco shrugged, and led her to a sofa. "_Alone._" Ginny glared pointedly at him.

            "I'm afraid I can't allow that," he glared back for fun.

            "Well, why ever not?"

            "…Because, to put it bluntly… these people are _boring_, and you are three times more interesting than any of them. I'M not exactly thrilled to be here either, you know."

            "Gee, who would have known?" Ginny snorted, as Draco eyed a blonde stick-in-a-dress. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice, which pained her eardrums. She felt Draco cringe next to her.

            "Draco! _There _you are! Do you know I've been looking for you ALL evening? I heard one of the waiters say you'd been down here briefly, but that you'd left for your rooms. So I went after you, but that wretched creature of yours wouldn't let me past the stairs!"

            _By Merlin, I'm giving Bitsy a week of vacation starting tonight_, Draco thought as he listened to Pansy Parkinson's whiny voice.

            "…So of course your mother told me that you'd be down, and it's been nearly half an hour, and I had NO idea where you were and – why are you with _her_?" The girl shrieked, noting Virginia (and Draco's arm draped lightly about her shoulders – his own special touch) for the first time.

            "Talking," he said lightly. "But the real question is, what are _you _doing _here_? As I recall, you weren't on the guest list…" Pansy looked affronted, and stuck her snub nose in the air.

            "When Elvira told me she'd been invited," she pointed at the skinny blonde, "and I hadn't received and invitation, I knew something must have gone wrong. So I wrote to your mother, and she _personally_ invited me, of course." Draco felt like disowning himself. _Why _did his mother insist on befriending terrible people like the Parkinsons?

            "How wonderful for you," Draco said, standing up and pulling a very stubborn-looking Virginia along with him. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Miss Weasley and I have some business to attend to. Perhaps Tony here could entertain you?" Tony Leoni was approaching, and Draco hurriedly beckoned him over. "Tony, meet Pansy Parkinson. Pansy, Tony Leoni. Enjoy yourselves," he grinned, and side-stepped into the crowd of guests, still dragging Virginia. _Whew. Safe at last! _He felt resistance against his hand, and turned to find a very skeptical Virginia Weasley eyeing him. _Then again… maybe not._

            Ginny was getting incredibly fed up with all of this ridiculousness.

            "Draco Malfoy, what do you think you're _doing_?"

            "…Attending to business?" he grinned sheepishly. She let out an exasperated sigh. "What what you you have had me _do_?" he snarled. "I can only surmise that you weren't thrilled with the idea of being insulted by that simpering little busybody for another twenty minutes."

            "Oh no, I could just as easily get that from you," she snapped.

            As soon as she said it, Ginny regretted it. Sure, Draco could be a jerk, and he was always saying moronic things, but she realized that they were almost always in teasing. (_But he really does just say stupid stuff sometimes… I mean, it's _Draco_ …_) And he had been (almost) perfectly nice to her this evening. It hit her that she would have felt completely out of place if Draco hadn't been there to distract her. She cringed as the look on his face changed drastically with her words.

            "Well," he stiffened. "If that's the case, then I'm sure you won't mind my leaving you here. As you can see, I have a lot of people to greet." He dropped her hand and walked off into the crowd, squaring his shoulders as he went. _Virginia Weasley, you dolt, why do you always screw things up?_


	20. Shake 'em off

**Author's Note: **Yay! I'm so glad to have this story going again, and to have all of my old readers back! I can't tell you how happy it made me to see those familiar names reviewing – I love the fact that you guys are sticking with me… Anyway, I'm home sick and am going to try and pound this out before my doctor's appointment, so I don't have time to reply to all of your reviews individually like I want to… so just know that I'm thinking of you ALL!

            Draco stalked off, away from Virginia, and as far away from the corner with Pansy and Tony as he could get. He surprised himself by realizing that he wasn't actually _mad _at Virginia. He was disappointed. He'd been perfectly civil, even nice, to her all evening, and she still despised him. _Well, in her defense, the original point of tonight _was _to make her miserable…_ he sighed. Now that he'd thrown The Plan out the window, he couldn't bring himself to go back. 

            She had every right to mistrust him. He'd tortured her family for years – he still hated her favorite brother, Ron, and hadn't exactly been what you'd call _kind_ to her. All the same, it was frustrating to him that she couldn't see how he'd changed.

            Draco realized that he was moping, but he didn't care. This party was stupid and worthless anyway. _A party for Fudge… of all people. Why don't they just stick me in a boiling vat of lard and get the torture over with right now? _

            "Draco darling!" _And so it begins… _"Draco come over here – I haven't seen you all evening. Don't you want to congratulate the Minister on his re-election?" His mother was ushering him over to where she stood – accompanied by none other than Cornelius Fudge. He groaned.

            "Oh. Right. How could I have forgotten?" Trying desperately not to roll his eyes, Draco slumped over towards his mother. "Good evening, Minister," he shook hands with the dumpy old man. "Are you enjoying yourself?" Draco moved protectively closer to his mother when Fudge shot a glance at her. She looked radiant, as always. 

            "Oh yes, yes, indeed. Wonderful party, absolutely wonderful. Your mother was just telling me about your plans to enter the business world – how splendid. I've a number of very good contacts, I can have them drawn up for you immediately, you know."

            "Oh Minister, that would be lovely!" His mother clapped her hands in glee. Draco scowled.

            "While I appreciate your _assistance_, Minister, I believe you'll find that I have established quite a few top-notch connections myself, and your aid will not be needed." Fudge looked startled at the brusqueness of Draco's speech, and gallantly tried to recover his dignity.

            "Oh, but of course. Any time, my boy, any time. You'll find that the Ministry's doors will always be open for the Malfoy family." He smirked. Draco snatched a glass of… something… off of a tray that was being carried around, and sipped it rather quickly, to keep himself from saying something rude.

            Ginny stood and watched Draco walk away, with the sinking feeling that she'd just made some kind of major mistake. _Oh, like I'm trying to get him to _like _me now…_

            _Wait a minute. I'm not trying to get him to like me, am I? …Hoooly –_

            "Miss Weasley, I presume?" A shaky voice interrupted her thoughts. Ginny turned to see a tottery old man in brown plaid robes looking up at her. He had massively thick glasses, and a very thick white mustache. 

            "Yes?"

            "Rutherford Peanickle from the Department of Distribution. Your father told me you might be looking for a post at the Ministry."

            "Oh… um… as a matter of fact, I am job-hunting at the moment." _Ohhh drat._

            "Excellent! Let's take a seat, why don't we?" Mr. Peanickle escorted Ginny, who was nearly twice his size (which, at her height, was saying something), to a nearby settee. "Now then!" he settled himself onto the cushions, feet dangling some six inches off of the floor.

            "Er… pardon my asking, sir, but… what exactly does the Department of Distribution _do_? I've never heard my father mention it before." Ginny immediately regretted her asking, when Rutherford Peanickle took a long, wobbly breath, and launched into an explanation about how the distribution of wizarding goods around Britain is essential to the survival of their kind, and without proper order and decorum, the entire basis of their societal structure would fall apart. 

            Ginny was dumbfounded. Did her father _actually _believe that she would want to work for this man? She could not believe this was happening to her. Not only had she screwed up things with Draco (_WHY do I keep thinking that? There was nothing to screw up, and there shouldn't ever be anything to screw up for heaven's sake!_), but she was apparently going to spend the evening being passed about from Ministry official to Ministry official, hearing about the virtues of each department. She was almost happy when Mr. Peanickle had to turn her over to Emilia Hoggarty for an explanation of the dealings of the Department of Clerical Works – commonly known as the 'Parchment Department'. That is to say, she was almost happy until Madame Hoggarty began speaking.

            _This is _it. _If I have to put up with another minute of this ridiculous, meaningless jabber from these –_

            "…and that's why it's imperative to our cause that the letterheads be printed in deep blue ink, don't you see?" Ginny blinked. She could _not _believe this was happening to her.

            "Oh, of course. Imperative." She tried not to roll her eyes. "Will you excuse me for a moment, please?" Hastily, Ginny made her way to the refreshments table. Dinner was about to be served, but she couldn't stand it any longer. As she was weaving her way erratically through the crowd (_Shake 'em off…shake 'em off…_), she caught a glimpse of a very unhappy looking Draco standing next to his mother and Cornelius Fudge. _I wonder what's going on with the two of them… Whatever it is, Draco does _not _seem very happy about it. _She almost felt a twinge of pity for the boy. It had to be stressful to have one's family fall apart, and then have another man – Cornelius Fudge, of all people – move in on your mother. If that was indeed what he was doing. Perhaps it was mutual. Perhaps it was business. It really was none of her concern, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit on Draco's side. Whatever that was.


	21. The Ineffectiveness of Chanting

**Author's Note: **I know I'm updating fast now – sorry for that (wait a minute… sorry? bah.), but I was brainstorming with my sister in the car on the way to a Barenaked Ladies concert last night, and I'm in 'the zone' now!

Sooo… no one has reviewed chapter twenty yet (because I'm sure that no one expected me to update so _soon! _), but I'll post this anyway – I owe you guys.

            There was a light tinkling noise, a spoon being tapped against a finely made goblet, and one of the many butlers (Draco couldn't remember his name) announced that dinner was about to be served, and would you all please take your seats.

            He breathed a sigh of relief, and started towards the table. As he drifted further and further away from the Minister and his mother (hands slightly clenched as she took the stupid man's arm), a flash of red caught his eye. Weasley! What had she been doing all this time, while he was roped into exchanging pleasantries with Fudge? _Not thinking about me, that's for sure…_ He paused. _What, now you want her to like you? As if that's going to happen. And for goodness sakes – she's a _Weasley, _Malfoy. It would never work. Like you even _want _it to work. You don't. Because it won't. And _why in the world _am I thinking all of this?!? _

            Virginia was talking to a boring looking woman who was speaking with intense passion about something. Virginia was smiling, almost smirking, though Draco couldn't figure out why. Lurking behind her was a miniscule man who kept looking around as if watching for someone. _What is she up to? _He thought. _Plotting my demise, is she? _He glared in her direction, and stalked off to the table, determined to remain aloof and standoffish around her. _This is what she expects of me anyway, right? _

            If Ginny had to listen to another minute of this woman talking, her head was going to implode. She couldn't take it. Surely this was cruel and unusual punishment, and all of the Ministry officials in this room should be sentenced. Not to mention the fact that Mr. Peanickle was still hanging around, trying to stop any other Ministry members from approaching Ginny, and hoping to woo her into the Department of Distribution. It's what the country is built on, after all.

            Finally, Ginny rolled her eyes. Dinner had just been announced, and she was more than thankful to get away from these people. As she approached the table, she kept an eye out for Draco. She wanted to see if his mood had improved, or if he was still angry at her. She caught a glimpse of pure blonde hair at the head of the table, but couldn't see his face. _Oh well. Not like I _care, _anyway…_

            "Miss Weasley? Right this way, please." Servants were escorting guests to their seats, and Ginny started as one appeared suddenly at her elbow.

            "Oh, of course." She allowed herself to be led towards her place. The table was quite long, and it took a considerable amount of time to maneuver through all of the guests from one end towards the other; it was only after a while that Ginny noticed she was being taken towards the head of the table. _This is odd…_she thought. Ginny grabbed the servant by the elbow. "Excuse me – are you sure you're taking me to the right place?" she asked.

            "Certainly, Miss. You're right up here, across from Mr. Malfoy." Ginny's eyes narrowed. _Across from Mister Malfoy, am I? What a coincidence…_

            "Thank you." She set her jaw, determined to maintain a steely manner with him, since he obviously had something miserable planned for her. _Just ignore him, and eat the food. Talk to the person next to you, and whatever you do, _don't look at him.

            A chair was pulled out for her, and Ginny sat down, carefully avoiding looking across the table. Out of the corner of her eye she could tell that Draco was talking to someone behind him, so she chanced a glance to see who was sitting nearby. Mrs. Malfoy was at the head of the table – traditionally a man's spot, and Ginny was surprised that the Minister wasn't seated there, it being his party and all – and Draco was at her right hand. Ginny was seated directly across from him, and to her left was a plump, gaudy lady that she didn't recognize. To Draco's right was none other than Mr. Ollivander, of Diagon Alley fame. A little further down, she recognized various heads of prestigious departments in the Ministry. She let out a little sigh. _This is going to be a blast, I can tell…_

            Hands in her lap, Ginny studied the many utensils laid at her place until everyone was seated. Finally, Mrs. Malfoy stood, and everyone turned to watch her. 

            "Welcome to my home," she smiled, and Ginny noticed that she really looked much prettier now that she wasn't being shown off by Lucius Malfoy all of the time. "As all of you are well aware, my son and I," she gestured towards Draco, who stood and nodded his head, before sitting again. "are hosting this event to honor the re-election of our capable and admirable Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge." At the foot of the table, Fudge stood, and smiled benevolently upon them all, before Narcissa Malfoy led polite clapping. "I hope that you enjoy this meal, and the rest of the evening." With that, she sat down, and servants began to serve food. 

            _Don't look at him, don't look at him, don't –_

            "Why Virginia! What a surprise,"_ I'm going to have to develop a new strategy. That chanting to myself never works._ Trying not to cringe, Ginny dragged her eyes upwards, and met the challenging glare of Draco Malfoy.

            "Yes, quite." She smiled dolefully, and returned to smoothing her dress, attempting to make it clear that conversation was not wanted. 

            "What a pity your parents couldn't be here tonight," Draco said, quite loudly, and a number of Ministry heads turned her way. She glared at him.

            "They have other priorities,"

            "Indeed." He was glaring fiercely at her now, and Ginny finally gave in and glared back. 

            Draco wasn't really sure why he was suddenly feeling so nasty towards her. It wasn't as if she'd done anything to him – just giving him a glimpse into the impression that she held of him. And now he was going about reinforcing that. _Malfoy you pompous, overgrown ferret, stop this before you regret it. Shit, I already _do _regret it. So STOP already! _

            For once, Draco decided to listen to his conscious. It was high time he began that practice anyway – he let his emotions get the better of him far too often. _She's going to be completely confused though…_ Draco sighed a little.

            "Of course your parents have other priorities," he stated, gradually softening his glare. (he couldn't just stop it all at once – he had to keep _some _dignity) "Dinner parties are hardly at the top of the to-do list for today's leading wizarding families." He fought back a chuckle as Virginia's glare turned quizzical. 

            "How true, Draco!" His mother had apparently overheard. "Why, I'm flattered that you could at least be here to represent your family, dear," she said to Virginia, who looked flat-out confused now. "Though it really is a pity that your parents aren't here. I've always found them quite delightful!" She smiled at Ginny, and allowed a plate to be set in front of her. 

            "Thank you," Ginny said, obviously surprised at the sudden change from hostility to friendliness. 

            The woman next to Ginny began chatting with Mrs. Malfoy, and Draco began eating. Ginny just sat there, dumbfounded. _What is going on? One minute, the boy's got a death threat out against me, the next, he and his mother are making small talk. I'm very confused._

            She shook her head gently, still trying to decide whether or not to reciprocate the sudden change in mood, or stay annoyed at him, and looked at her food. It was some kind of fish, topped with a creamy sauce, and there were delicately prepared vegetables arranged along the side of the plate. Ginny decided that confusing emotions could wait until after dinner.

            She started to pick up a fork, but received a light kick on her shin. She jumped in surprise, and looked irritably up at Draco. He had one eyebrow cocked (_ignore the eyebrow, ignore the eyebrow…ooh, how I love that eyebrow thing…_damn _it!_), and was subtly pointing to a specific fork with one finger. Ginny looked at her forks. There were six of them. _One for each brother, _she thought. Then she looked back at Draco. He was miming eating with one hand, and pointing to the middle fork with the other. 

            _Now why is he helping me out, and not letting me make a fool of myself? _She wondered, and picked up the correct utensil. She shot him a curious glance, and started to eat. This was turning out to be a really weird night.


	22. Of Looks and Expanding Horizons

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, folks! (Although, you really can't hold _one _month against me when I went for seven without an update…*innocent grin*) Anyway, thanks muchly for all of the reviews – you know I love it when you guys read and tell me how fabulous I am. Not that I need any reassurance or anything… *wink* Okay then! Here's the newest installment – enjoy!

            Much to his surprise, Draco was beginning to find that being _nice _to Ginny was far easier than being horrible to her. _That's not the way this is supposed to work… she's a _Weasley. He really needed to get a good night's sleep – to get all of these confusing thoughts out of his head.

            Draco looked down the table and saw that Pansy Parkinson had managed to seat herself next to poor Tony. _What the guy won't do for a nice pair of legs…_He shook his head slightly. He couldn't put up with Pansy for twenty minutes at the _most_, and Tony now had to deal with her for a whole dinner party.

            "Quite an evening of achievement for the Minster, isn't it?" A quiet voice in Draco's ear nearly made him fall off his chair. He wheeled around to see none other than Mr. Ollivander, wand maker supreme, watching him seriously. "Another political victory, a prestigious party in his honor, and the affections of a very prestigious lady, it seems." Draco scowled as he saw Fudge catch his mother's eye from the other end of the long table, and raise his glass in a toast. She smiled warmly at him. "How much is your mother worth, approximately?" Ollivander looked hard into Draco's eyes, reaffirming the nagging worry he'd had about the Minister's true intentions.

            "More than any monetary measurement, and certainly more than a prick like – excuse me, the _Minister_ – deserves," Draco said scathingly. He wasn't sure why Ollivander was bringing the obvious to his attention.

            "As I expected to hear," The old man nodded his head once, sharply, before turning away and concentrating on eating. Draco wasn't at all unhappy to end the conversation. He'd always found the guy rather creepy, really.

            Ginny had stopped eating, and was quietly watching the people around her. Mrs. Malfoy had been talking to the woman next to Ginny, but had turned her attention to a rather feeble looking old woman dressed in purple silk a few seats down. Draco had been having a conversation with Mr. Ollivander – a conversation that displeased him, apparently. He almost looked sick when he turned away from the old man and picked up his fork. Ginny couldn't help but stare at him. His face was flushed, and he looked extremely upset, but handsome, just the same. As she sat there, eyes glued to his face, Draco looked at her. It wasn't a glare, as she expected, nor an amused, mocking glance – he _looked _at her, like normal people do.

            Ginny was severely unnerved by this. Draco Malfoy didn't just look at people. He gloated, mocked, glared, stared, glowered, and scowled at people – but he didn't _look _at them. She focused her own eyes on her plate very quickly, and began to shovel the food into her mouth, attempting to make herself look busy. Every now and then, she chanced a peek at him, but Draco was either gazing thoughtfully at his plate, or chatting with his mother.

            While Ginny was scarfing down her food, the woman next to her put her hand on Ginny's arm. "Are you enjoying yourself, dear?" Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the touch – she'd been so focused on pretending that she hadn't just looked at Draco for the eighth time, that she'd completely forgotten about the other guests. 

            "Mmpff, um…" she swallowed hastily. "Yes, yes, of course," 

            "Allow me to introduce myself – Velma Morgana Waffle. Owner and proprietress of Velma's Elements; one of the finest apothecaries in all of Britain. I'm currently in the market for an apprentice, as a matter of fact." Ginny stared at her. Ms. Waffle stared back, her massive jewelry glinting in the candlelight. Time passed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ginny burst out rather rudely,

            "That's very nice, but what does that have to do with _me_?" Ms. Waffle burst into laughter – a pleasant, silvery sound, and patted Ginny's hand maternally. (Well, maybe not _Ms. Weasley _maternally, because if Ginny had said something like that to her mother, a nice pat on the hand would have smarted a lot more…)

            "And here I was thinking to myself what a clever girl you seemed. Child, I saw you getting mobbed by those dull, lifeless Ministry members," she declared, not even bothering to lower her voice as several "dull, lifeless Ministry members" looked around. "You don't want to work in a stuffy place like that – believe me, I've been there! Department of International Cooperation, that was me twenty-five years ago… This business suits me much better. Tell me, dear, are you interested in potion-making?" Ginny was still staring at Ms. Waffle in disbelief.

            "You… want _me _to be your apprentice?" the woman nodded, smiling. "…you don't even know me!" 

            "Oh, quite the contrary!" she protested. "I've known your parents for eons. Saw you as a little girl – but since I've switched careers, I haven't had much time for socialization. But oh no, you're quite mistaken. If I know one Weasley, I know all of them. And a fine lot you are, too," Ginny began to recover from her surprise. A grin snuck onto her face. 

            "Well, I mean, I can't be making any commitments immediately… you know, review my options, expand my horizons…" Ginny's voice trailed off as Ms. Waffle winked at her knowingly.

            "Oh, of course," she replied, and returned to her meal.

            Ginny sat in stunned silence for a moment. _I've got a job! _

**A/N: **I know, I know, this was a very Ginny-filled chapter – but I had to build this up, and Draco really has nothing to do with it. So it's mostly Ginny. Not that we don't all love that anyway. 


	23. In which the Author is at a Loss for a T...

**Author's Note: **Well, hello hello, there, my dear readers! sheepishly peeks out from behind monitor

I know. It's been forever. Again. I'm so SORRY! I didn't _mean _to neglect my story, I just got so busy with the end of school, and getting ready to go abroad, and well… I know. Go ahead. Be angry.

But I _do _have a new installment of story for you! See? Don't you love me again? Heh. Here you go my darlings… Don't glare.

            Ginny spent the rest of the meal talking with Mrs. Waffle, and successfully managed to avoid any conversation with Draco. She had snuck a few looks at him over the table, and he was stubbornly not looking at her. _Fine._She thought. _Let him ignore me – it's better that way anyhow._

            By the time guests started to leave, Ginny had lined up a starting date at Velma's Elements, and was rather pink in the face from all of the excitement (and a little bit from the wine, as well). She and Velma Waffle exchanged enthusiastic goodbyes, and Ginny made her way to the door, humming quietly to herself.

            "Judging by this happy girl I see, I trust you have enjoyed yourself tonight?" Startled, Ginny looked up to see Tony leaning against the wall, grinning at her.

            "Oh! Tony, yes, yes I _have! _It's been most enjoyable. And I trust that I'll see you again sometime?"

            "But of course!" He winked at her, and beckoned her into the entrance hall. She gave him a small wave, and continued along her way. As she was heading out the door, Ginny noticed Draco lurking – no, _sulking _– in the corner. His face was set, and he was glaring above her head, out the door. She stuck her nose in the air and swooshed out. She knew that she was mad at him for some reason, but she wasn't quite sure _why_. _I'll remember in the morning, I'm sure._ Just a good night's sleep. That's all she needed. _Ow. _Thinking hurt.

            By the time she arrived at the Burrow, it was quite late, and the lights were all off. Ginny entered through the kitchen door, and tiptoed up the stairs to her room. The door tended to creak, so she slowly slid it open, and nearly screamed.

            Two tall figures had jumped up from their sitting positions on her bed as soon as she'd opened the door.

            "For Merlin's sake, don't scream!"

            "Honestly Gin, what do you think we _are_?"

            "Axe murderers?"

            "We'd never do that!"

            "…At least not with an axe."

            "Shut up, Fred…"

            Ginny breathed a sigh of relief, and shut the door. She took out her wand and turned the lamps up, then wheeled around to face her brothers.

            "_What_ do you two think you're doing in here?" She waved her wand around in George's face.

            "Bloody hell, Gin, watch what you're doing with that thing!" He grabbed her wrist and lowered her arm. "Are you alright?" The two of them peered at her intently. Ginny scowled. Her happy feelings had suddenly disappeared, and she wasn't feeling too well at the moment. What she really wanted was to lie down and go to bed. _But these two overgrown weasels are in the way…_

            "…Was there wine at the venue?" Fred asked, affecting his voice to sound Percyish. "You know it isn't proper for a young lady of your… _stature _to consume – "

            "Oh honestly, shut _up _Fred."

            "Shove off, you too. I want to go to bed, and you're blocking my way."

            "We know," they said together. Ginny was getting very annoyed. "Look, we wanted to see what happened with this party deal – I mean, it was pretty obvious that you weren't keen on going, and mum wouldn't talk." Fred sat himself down on her bed, and pulled her down next to him. It felt much better than standing; her legs had been getting a bit shaky.

            "There's nothing to tell… Drac – I mean Malfoy, is a slimeball, and everyone still hates him, and then there was the food, and Velma Waffle, and really good wine…" Fred and George exchanged knowing glances. "I'm not _drunk_!" she protested. "I'm just tired… it's been a long night, and – oh will you stop looking at me like that!?" George had been trying very hard not to laugh, and as Ginny was having trouble focusing on his face, he looked worse than he was.

            "George, go get her the stuff."

            "Right-o." He saluted, and quietly slipped out the door. Ginny heard him on the stairs.

            "Who is this Velma lady?" Fred asked, helping Ginny take her shoes off.

            "Propriator. Priopatess. Prepapaper…ess…"

            "…Proprietress?"

            "_Yes._ Elements. Some kind of potion…place."

            "Apothecary?" Ginny was getting very sleepy, very quickly. By this time, Fred had found her nightgown, and was helping her unzip her dress so that she could put her pajamas over her head and slip out of her gown.

            "Mmmhmm."

            "Anything special about her?"

            "Offered me a job…"

            "Really? Gin, that's great! But – " he frowned. "You were going to come work with _us_…" Ginny sat up rather quickly and stared at him in horror. "Nah, just kidding. You already told us twenty-three times that you'd rather spend the rest of your life listening to Percy talk about common international magical cooperation misconceptions."

            "And eleven times that you'd rather Ron wore your latest dress and asked Goyle to the Yule Ball." George had come back into the room, carrying some kind of steaming beverage.

            "…Although, that _would _be worthwhile to see…"

            "What's that you've got?" Ginny indicated the mug that George was carrying. He grinned.

            "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Instant Head De-fogger. Doesn't really qualify as a Weasley's Wizard Wheeze, but we've found that it's useful when used with a number of our products."

            "As well as with copious amounts of wine and/or rum."

            "Just drink it." Ginny obeyed, partly to get the twins to stop talking, and partly because she believed them, and wanted the fogginess of her head to _go away._ The last thing that she heard before she drifted off (_were they actually tucking her in?_) was one of them saying,

            "Mum'll be thrilled…"

            Draco woke the next morning in quite a temper. Everything was going badly – Bitsy hadn't made it to his wing of the manor yet, so his fire wasn't lit, and he was _cold. _Not to mention annoyed. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Virginia the entire night. Every time he tried to catch her eye, she was talking with that gaudy woman next to her. That had bothered him. It was, after all, _his _house, and he had specifically arranged for Virginia to be seated across from him. Granted, not for the reason of entertaining and surprising her with his witty conversational skills, but – _Dear god.__ Did I just think what I thought I thought?_

            He had _not _been trying to impress a Weasley. It simply couldn't be. There was no excuse for that – he must have had too much wine, or something. Speaking of wine, he had to admit that it seemed the virtuous young Ms. Weasley had consumed a fair amount. He chuckled. Tipsy young women were always amusing – especially if they had no idea that they were so.

            "BITSY!" Draco swore under his breath as he realized that all he'd been thinking of since he awoke was Virginia. Fine. So he had a… a _thing _for her. It could be cured. It wasn't like people hadn't gotten over these things before.

            And he was still thinking about her.

            Draco groaned. _I'll just have to avoid her. Forget tormenting her, forget admiring the way that her hair catches the – _damn _it! _He could do this, he knew he could. He was a Malfoy – they didn't admit defeat this easily.

            "BITSY! WHERE THE BLAZES ARE YOU??" He roared at the top of his lungs as his feet touched the cold stone floor next to his bed. He really would have liked that fire going right now. Grabbing a piece of parchment off of his desk, Draco dipped a quill in ink, and began to write:

            **_Absolutely NO:_**__

_            Visting with, seeking out, or making an effort to contact Virginia Weasley_

_            **Avoid if at all possible:**_

****_Any chance contact, conversation, or time spent with said affliction_

_            **Permission to throw self off of third story balcony if instructions are not followed**_

**_            Signed,_**

**_            Draco L. Malfoy_**

            Draco never signed his middle name. He didn't even like to think it to himself. Lord, his first name was bad enough. There was no need to humiliate himself further. He sighed, and tacked the parchment up next to a month-old reminder to fire the chambermaid for not cleaning under his armoire for three weeks (he swore he'd seen GREEN things growing under there…). Bitsy came skidding into the room. _About time_.

            "Master must forgive Bistsy – Bisty has been trying to come, since Bitsy first heard master wake, but Minister Fudge has been speaking to Bitsy, and Bitsy musn't disrespect the Minister Fudge, sir."

            _What the effing bloody hell is goddamn _Fudge_ doing here?!_

"Oh? The minister is here?" Bitsy nodded enthusiastically, and pointed down the stairs with one hand while stoking the freshly lit fire with the other. "And – is my mother with him?"

            "Yes sir – the mistress has been speaking and dining with the Minister for nearly an hour now." _An hour?_Draco slammed his door shut and strode over to his bed.

            "Bring my breakfast here, Bitsy. I'll not be going downstairs until the Minister has left."

****


	24. In Which Characters are Confused

Author's Note: So I FINALLY got Word installed on my laptop! Now I can actually start writing. I know that it's been a while, but I'm now in Finland, and settling in quite well for my year here. Right-o. I guess it's time to start writing now. J

Ginny woke the next morning, expecting a splitting headache, but felt remarkably refreshed. _That stuff from the twins must actually work…_She stretched, pulled on a pair of loose-fitting pants, and made her way down the stairs. There was a good deal of noise coming from the kitchen, and she suspected that the majority of the family was still eating breakfast.

"There's my girl!" her mother jumped up from the table as soon as Ginny shuffled in, yawning, and hurried to fetch her a plate. "I've heard _all _about this wonderful party, dear," she said, scooping potatoes onto her daughter's plate. Ginny looked sharply at Fred and George, who were lazily finishing their meals.

_I swear I'll _kill _them, _Ginny fingered her wand, glaring at the twins.

"Your brothers told me you've landed yourself a job! Wonderful, dear, simply wonderful. Eat up, now." A plate heaped with eggs, sausages, potatoes, and fruit was shoved under Ginny's nose. (**A/N:** I'm huuuungry!) "And with Velma Waffle! Couldn't ask for a nicer woman…" Her mother droned on and on, tidying up the kitchen, and chattering about Ginny's new job.

Ginny noticed her brothers pretending to nod off at the other end of the table – well, the twins, that is. Ron actually _was _asleep. In fact, Ginny didn't remember him even looking up when she came in. Another second and his head would plop right into his eggs… It was getting closer… any minute now…

THUMP.

Ron's head snapped up as Fred stretched his legs and dropped his feet on the table loudly. Ginny snickered as her youngest brother hastily wiped away a bit of drool, and focused on his breakfast, his face turning red.

"…and you'll make a nice steady wage, too. Velma has – FRED WEASLEY! You get your dirty feet off of my kitchen table this _instant! _I swear, one more incident like this, _one more_, and… I'm forbidding you to eat meals here anymore! You too!" She rounded on George, who was laughing heartily.

Ginny slipped a few pieces of toast in her pocket, and headed for the living room, where her father was frantically gathering his work papers together. The room was a mess – parchment everywhere, and a few chairs were knocked over.

"Morning, Dad," He whirled around looking for the source of the voice, having not heard her come in.

"Oh! Good morning, Ginny. Heard about the job – good on you!" He got down onto his hands and knees, and began pulling papers out from underneath chairs.

"Thanks. What happened here?" She nudged the carpet back into place with her toe.

"Where? Oh – right. Uh, nothing. Just the cat. Went a bit mad this morning, is all." He snatched a few more bits of paper, and stuffed them into his satchel. "Well, I'm off then, I'll be home later." He kissed the top of her head, and walked into the kitchen.

"Bye!" Ginny called after him. She stared around at the room – it was still in serious disarray. There was no way the cat did this.

After tidying up the room a bit – setting chairs upright again and all – Ginny meandered back into the kitchen, where only Ron remained. He was dozing again, and she walked behind him and coughed loudly.

"NOT THE SPIDERS!" He yelled, jerking awake. "GODS, Gin, what do you think you're doing??"

"Walking – that's still allowed, isn't it?" She snapped at him, and started sifting through the large stack of post on the table for her own mail. "What's wrong with you anyway? Have a late night or something?"

"No!" he answered defensively, and hastily cleared his place. "I'm just tired, is all."

"Right… listen – what happened in the living room?" Ron shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe the twins? I wasn't here last night, so I couldn't tell – "

"HA!" Ginny threw her mail on the floor and sprinted over to her brother, who was standing with a horrified look on his face. "I _knew _it! Where were you? Who were you with? What did you… uh… _do_?"

"Nothing! I didn't go anywhere! I wasn't doing anything!"

"You were with Hermi- "

"DON'T YOU HAVE MAIL TO READ?" He bellowed over her last sentence, and stormed out of the house.

Ginny chuckled gleefully, and gathered up her post. As she expected, there was a letter from Ms. Waffle.

_Dear Ginny,_

I trust you got home safely last night. I cannot express my delight at the prospect of training you – from all that I've heard, you're a brilliant young woman, and I've been in dire need of an apprentice for a good while now. As we discussed, you will begin immediately, on Monday. Please come to this address at seven thirty:

Velma's Elements – Fine Ingredients and Potion Making for Every Magical Need

Number Twenty-four Diagon Alley, London

I look forward to Monday, dear!

**Ms. Velma M. Waffle, proprietress**

Ginny folded the letter up and carried it to her room, where she placed it on her desk. _Seven thirty? That's damn early…_She sighed, and began to dress, thinking maybe she could pull one of the twins away for a one-on-one game of Quidditch. That is, if they were still in the vicinity.

Draco sulked in his room for another hour and a half, until Bitsy informed him that the Minister had gone.

"Finally! If that prick hadn't left in another ten minutes, I was getting ready to hex him from the balcony." Bitsy nodded in sympathy, and opened the door for her master. "Mother! I'm going out!" Draco called as he ran down the stairs.

"Not so fast," she replied. He leaned over the railing, and saw his mother looking up at him, waiting at the bottom step. "I want to speak with you." He internalized a groan, and slowed his pace.

"Before you say anything," he held up his hand as she started to speak. "I just want to point out that I am twenty years old, and quite grown out of this maternal lecture stuff." He took a deep breath. "It isn't that I don't appreciate your trying to take care of me, but _honestly_ Mother – hasn't it always been someone, usually me, taking care of _you? _In fact, I think that it's you who are in need of a lecture. I can't believe you, letting Fudge – excuse me, the _Minister_ – play you like this! Use some sense… he's being more than just friendly, you know." He started to take another breath, but stopped at the sharp look his usually very congenial mother was giving him.

"Are you _quite _finished?" she asked him. He nodded sheepishly. "I had not intended to corner you with a 'maternal lecture', but since you've presented me with the opportunity, I'll take it, and make it short and sweet. You're twenty years old? Congratulations – now act your age, and keep your nose out of other people's business." Draco felt as if he'd been slapped. After all, he'd never had anything but his mother's best interests at heart – he really did care about her – and here she was blindly refusing to acknowledge the truth. "Now, what I _did _want to talk to you about was last night." Draco blinked. "I don't think that you made enough of an effort to engage Miss Weasley… she's quite understandably unfamiliar with events like this, and the people that we had here last night. I want _all _of my guests to feel welcome, and as my son, it is also up to you to be a good host. I got the impression that the young Miss Weasley was a bit uncomfortable last night, and that upset me, because you two seemed to have had a wonderful time the last time that you were together…" she paused.

"…And?" Draco couldn't decide if the sense of foreboding he had just felt was from horror or excitement.

"And I think that it would be lovely for you to make it up to her. From what I hear, she'll be working at an apothecary in Diagon Alley – you should visit sometime, and take her to lunch or something. It might be nice for her to have good contacts, as well, if she plans on establishing herself in the business." Draco did not believe that he was hearing correctly. Was his mother actually telling him to take Virginia Weasley out? "It's just a suggestion dear," she smiled, and turned towards the drawing room. "Have a nice time out!"

As Draco shut the door behind him, he ran his fingers through his hair in bewilderment. Something told him that his mother didn't only have Virginia Weasley's best interests at heart.


	25. Of Butterflies and Denial

****

Author's Note: Soooo… (nervous laughter) I'm so glad that you lovely readers are so patient with me. I promise to reward that patience. I'm talking good rewards. There's the small stuff, of course, like new chapters, but I am now promising that I will get to the _good stuff _you've all been begging for in the near future. (waits for big cheers) Well. You don't have to believe me yet. But I swear. It's coming. ;) I love you all!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Monday morning was clear and sunny, which Ginny took as a good omen. She sat up and stretched. It was six o'clock – she was supposed to meet Velma at seven-thirty. Just then, a loud knock sounded on her bedroom door.

"Ginny! Ginny! Wake up, it's your first day of work!"

_Good lord, she sounds _way _too excited about this…_Ginny sighed and scrambled out of bed. She really had no idea what she had to look forward to… she'd been pretty good at Potions in school, but she'd never thought much about the subject outside of Hogwarts. _Oh, what have you gotten yourself into? _she started to think. But hey. It was a job. Her very first job, actually…

By the time Ginny had washed her face and started downstairs, she had an excited fluttering in her stomach – the kind of feeling she always had on the first day of school. She walked into the kitchen, and saw her mother standing in front of the table, which was laid with more than enough food for all six Weasley boys combined.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" Mrs. Weasley called, in a voice that could not contain her pride.

"Mum… what's all this?" Ginny stared in amazement at the breakfast feast.

"Your mother doesn't want you starting work on an empty stomach, so she decided to make breakfast for you," her dad said, from the head of the table where he had been sitting and reading the Daily Prophet. "However, once she started, she got a little… erm… _carried away,"_

"Oh Arthur, hush now." Mrs. Weasley tutted at her husband, and ushered Ginny to the table. "Now, you just sit here, and enjoy your meal, and I'll go get your clothes laid out for you so that they'll be ready when you finish eating…"

"Mum, _please. _I'm not six anymore, I can pick my own clothes." Her mother's face fell a bit. "But this breakfast is great, thanks Mum," Ginny said quickly, and smiled warmly at her mother.

"Well, whatever you like. Oh, where _is _that boy?" Mrs. Weasley walked to the bottom of the stairs. "RONALD! GET OUT OF BED AND COME BE HAPPY FOR YOUR SISTER ON HER FIRST DAY OF WORK!" Ginny shook her head, grinning, as she buttered herself a scone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Draco had been suspicious of his mother since the conversation they'd had the week before. He had taken to listening very closely to everything she said to him, trying to fish out double meanings. By Monday, he had driven himself crazy. He stalked over to his desk, above which he had posted his list concerning the young miss Weasley. Grabbing a quill, Draco scribbled out the words furiously, and wrote in thick letters:

**ACTING LIKE A PARANOID OAF IS HEREBY PROHIBITED.**

He stepped back and admired his work. Satisfied, he took a deep breath, and went for a shower.

As steam rose around him and began to soothe his fragile nerves, Draco considered his current situation. He had already admitted to himself that he was attracted to Virginia Weasley. The question was, how _much? _As he reached for the soap, he realized that he'd already answered that question. By allowing himself to be even slightly attracted to her, he'd condemned himself. Draco sighed, and rubbed his shoulders with lather. _Alright, Malfoy. Admitting the problem is the first step to finding a solution. Say it out loud._

"Oy." He took a deep breath. This was harder than he thought it would be. "IlikeVirginiaWeasley." Actually, that felt kind of good. "I… like Virgina Weasley." A weight was slowly being lifted off of his shoulders, and he was beginning to feel slightly giddy. "I like her. I like a Weasley. Virginia Weasley." By now he was grinning stupidly. "I LIKE VIRGINIA WEASLEY!" He shouted, and pulled the shower curtain back. He grabbed a towel, and burst into his bedroom.

"That's a very interesting admission, mate," Draco nearly jumped out of his skin. Tony Leoni was lounging on his bed, languidly flipping through a copy of WAQ! – the World Association of Quidditch magazine. Draco's good mood vanished.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tony?" he snarled. The other boy laughed, making Draco even grouchier.

"What, I'm not allowed to drop in and see an old friend? Come on Malfoy, you can't have forgotten! We're supposed to play Quidditch today," Draco _had _forgotten, completely. And while he currently would like nothing better than to tear around on his broom at dizzying speeds, there was no way he was going with Tony, after what he'd just overheard.

"Sorry, not today," Draco huffed, and went back into the bathroom to change.

"Ah, Draco, don't be so uptight! You have to admit, it's pretty amusing… after all, I've never seen you this wound up over _any _girl, let alone a Weasley…"

"I'M NOT WOUND UP!"

"…but it's perfectly understandable. I mean, she _is _absolutely delectable, and the way she moves those hips… hey, if you're too chicken to do anything, can I go after her?" Draco scowled, and kicked the wall violently.

"FUCK!" he shouted, as he his toe collided sharply with the doorstop. Tony chuckled. "Look, Tony, you know you're a bloody asshole, so why don't you just go home and leave me alone?" Tony stood and stretched, grinning broadly.

"Alright, but I'll see you soon," He winked, and left. Draco collapsed onto his bed, fuming. Of all things for someone to overhear… this was _not _going to be a good day.


	26. Evil Just Feels So Good

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovelies! I _told _you that patience is rewarded… actually, before I start that, let me just say how grateful I am that people still read this. I think that many of you original readers must have just gotten fed up with me and given this up for lost, but that's okay. :) Just the fact that there are still readers (besides my sister) makes me want to keep writing. And know this – even when I'm months and months without an update (which I hope will never happen again…), I am _constantly _thinking about my story and my wonderful readers, because I feel horribly guilty about abandoning you. Heh. So. Remember that I adore you.

Anyway, last night I stayed up about 2 hours later than I meant to, and typed out a big, huge plan for this story. I'm talking categorized by sub-plots and central vs. lesser characters, with backstories and histories… maybe you don't realize how big a deal this is for me, but I am not an _organized _kind of writer. Now, however, I will never forget where I'm trying to go with this story! Three cheers for me!

SO. Finally we get to it. The end of my author's note. And now it's back to the story, which I hope you enjoy.

x x x x

After about an hour of calming down, Draco felt he had collected his wits enough to venture outside. Making his way to the front door, he ran into his mother, who was also preparing to go out. _Remember, no paranoia… _he told himself.

"Good morning, darling!" she greeted him, pulling on stylish black leather gloves. "What are your plans for today? Meeting anyone?"

"_No, _Mother, I am not! Now will you please – " Draco realized that his mother hadn't been insinuating anything at all, and stopped. "No. I thought I'd go out alone for a little while. And where are you headed?"

"Oh, well the Minister kindly invited me to a luncheon with a few of his associates, concerning the St. Mungo's Annual Charity event," she smiled at Draco, who felt himself prickling with anger. "You're welcome to join us, of course."

"No thank you," he replied curtly, and reached for the door. "I'll be home later."

Draco could not _believe _that guy. The Minister was using every damn opportunity available to wheedle his way into his mother's life and money… and, well; Draco would be hanged if he let him succeed. _Bastard, _he fumed, striding down the lane in front of the manor.

x x x x

Ginny was glad to get out of the house. The morning had quickly turned ugly, as her mother literally dragged poor Ron out of bed to congratulate Ginny on her new job. He hadn't been too happy with the arrangement, and a hearty row ensued. Ginny had been quite happy to escape, although now the nervous butterflies in her stomach were back.

She apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, which was quite empty. Ginny was surprised; she'd only ever seen it full of customers. _Then again, I've never been here at seven in the morning… _She waved cheerily to Tom, the bartender, who was grinning at her, and continued through to the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Unlike the Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley was bustling as usual. Witches and wizards strolled along the street, looking into shop windows and stopping to purchase goods from the street vendors' carts. Ginny sighed happily. There really was no place she liked better than Diagon Alley… Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were much the same. She loved the magic that seeped through the cracks in the walls of the buildings, the ancient shops and businesses, the comforting feel of it all. Just then, someone pushed past her, and Ginny recalled why she was there in the first place. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the letter she'd received from Velma.

_…Velma's Elements, Twenty-four Diagon Alley…_

"Okay, here goes," she began walking, scanning the storefronts for numbers as she went.

The apothecary wasn't hard to find. It was a brightly-colored storefront; painted in cheerful blues and greens, and an elegantly lettered sign above the door read:

**_Velma's Elements – fine ingredients and potion making for every magical need_**

Below that line, the word _Closed! _glittered brightly in gold. Ginny liked the look of the place. Most apothecaries that she'd visited were dusty and dark, and often smelled of mold and other damp things. The appearance of this store seemed right, though. Ginny was reminded of the extravagance of Velma Waffle at the dinner party, and privately thought that it suited her quite well. Ginny took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

x x x x

He really had to quit stalking off thoughtlessly like this. Draco had no idea where he was planning on going, but now he was out, so he had to do _something. _He sighed, annoyed at the path his life seemed to be taking recently – the path to Chaos. The whole Virginia thing was bad enough (oh, he would just _kill _Tony if he said anything…), but now he had to worry about the goddamn Minister on top of it all. Everything put together managed to put Draco into a foul, foul mood, and he was ready to do something delightfully nasty.

It was at times like these that he found himself thinking about his father. Draco had no love for the man, especially after the Second War, and hated the way his behaviors had tainted the Malfoy name. At the same time, he owed a lot to his father. Without him, Draco would never have become as strong as he was. He would not have been able to redeem himself in the eyes of the wizarding world, and he would probably be some meek, sniveling little weakling like Ron Weasley. He definitely wouldn't have as much persuasion or as many connections as he did, either.

_Connections… _suddenly it hit Draco. Everything he needed to solve one of his problems was right at his fingertips. He turned sharply and strode back up the lane to the manor, where he exchanged his clothes for more impressive robes. A quick glance in the hall mirror showed a tall, imposing figure, smirking almost sadistically. This would actually be fun… sometimes evil just felt so good. Draco chuckled to himself, and apparated with a sharp crack.


	27. New Surroundings

****

Author's Note: Well, I appear to be on a roll these past few days. Sooo… I thought that I'd keep writing, and depending on how much I do, post a bit to make up for my long absence, and keep my story at the top to hopefully draw in some new readers. SPEAKING of new readers – I noticed quite a few new people have me on their Author Alert list, which I am of course tickled pink about. I do have one request for all of you, though. **REVIEW!** Reviews are what give me ideas, inspire me, and persuade me to keep writing when I'm feeling stinky about it. It's just a little button down there… see? So easy. :)

****

x x x x

Draco arrived in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic and glanced around him. It was still early in the morning, but a number of people were there already. He strolled casually towards the golden gates that lead to the lifts, not even stopping for security. The guard opened his mouth to protest, but Draco turned his face towards him, and the man recognized him and waved him through.

He entered the lift alongside a small, round woman clutching a box containing something that caused it to shake violently and spit sparks. Draco edged away from her, leaning into the wall. The box reminded him strongly of his days at Hogwarts, in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class.

They traveled up, and were joined by a few other uninteresting witches and wizards along the way. At level two, the little witch with the box departed, and Draco slowly exhaled with relief. Finally, he arrived at level one, and stepped out of the lift.

The hallway in front of him was long and contained many polished wooden doors, engraved with names painted over in gold. At the very end of the corridor, two tall, intricately carved mahogany doors stood imperiously. The seal of the Ministry glittered over the entrance. Draco scowled at the doors, knowing whose office lay behind them, and mentally promised himself to expose Fudge as the gold-digger he was.

He approached a door on the left side of the hall, with the name _Gordan Helmstead _carved into it. Below the name, in smaller letters, were the words _Administrator of Inter-Department Policy. _Draco rapped sharply on the door, and waited for an answer.

"Come in," called a deep, slightly raspy voice. "Mr. Malfoy! Good to see you," A sturdy, middle-aged man with very dark brown hair and tired eyes greeted Draco with a firm handshake. "I wasn't aware that you were coming by today. Please, have a seat,"

Draco settled himself into a comfortable armchair in front of the man's desk. The office was small, but nicely furnished, and thick golden curtains were pulled back from the window to let the early morning sunlight in.

"I wasn't even aware myself, until just this morning, sir."

"Please, call me Gordon," he said, closing a file on his desk, and leaning back. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, sir – I'm sorry, _Gordon _– I know that you helped my father out on a few occasions, when he needed to obtain information about Ministry personnel, did you not?" The man sat up a little straighter, and cleared his throat.

"I'll admit that I did have the _occasional _interaction with your father, Mr. Malfoy, but I assure you that nothing I ever presented him with jeopardized the safety of those parties involved."

"Only the integrity?" Draco smirked. The man was visibly nervous. The Malfoy name still carried a lot of weight, especially in these waters. "Don't worry, Gordon, I'm not here to bring up any past indiscretions of yours. However, I _could _use your help obtaining some… information."

"Ah!" Mr. Helmstead propped his elbows up on his desk and leaned forward eagerly.

"I am, of course, prepared to compensate you fully for your troubles," Draco said casually, drawing his fingers lightly across the fabric of the chair.

"Who did you have in mind?"

Draco's smirk grew wider.

****

x x x x

"Miss Weasley! Oh, I am delighted to see you, love," As soon as Ginny entered the store, she was met with great gusto by Ms. Waffle. "Did you find your way here easily?"

"Yes, I did, thank you," Ginny couldn't help but grin. She'd thought that Velma was gaudy at the dinner, but now she saw that she was wonderfully eccentric. She was dressed in shimmering olive green robes, tied at the waist with at least half a dozen silk scarves. Her fingers sported many rings encrusted with bright gemstones, and she literally glittered when she moved. "I can't even begin to thank you for this opportunity," Ginny said.

"Oh, please. You and I both know that this job is _loads _better than anything your parents would have set up at the Ministry, and frankly, I'm lucky to find someone I actually _like_. Merlin knows I can't work with just anyone," Velma winked. "Now, let's get this show on the road!"

Ginny spent the morning shadowing Velma – first she was shown around the shop. It consisted of three rooms; the main shop, the storeroom, and the potions room, the first being the largest. Large, multi-paned windows looked out onto Diagon Alley, and deep shelves lined the walls, laden with supplies. Velma worked behind a circular counter set in the middle of the room, where she kept a small mortar and pestle for grinding up small amounts of ingredients for customers. Ginny was fascinated with the storeroom, which was full of more bottles, boxes, and jars containing strange substances than she had ever seen in her life – even more than in the twins' room. And finally, the potions room. It was unlike the rest of the apothecary, which was warm and welcoming. The walls were thick slabs of stone, and only a small window allowed light from outside to sneak in. Ginny was reminded of the cold dungeon presided over by Professor Snape, at Hogwarts, which in turn reminded her of Draco. _Draco. _That prat. She did _not _want to be thinking about him right now. She pushed an image of him sulking at the dinner party out of her mind and looked around. She hoped that she wouldn't have to spend too much time back here.

The morning was slow, in terms of customers, and by the time her lunch break rolled around, Ginny was longing to stretch her legs. Velma offered to share her own meal with her, but Ginny declined.

"I think I'll take a walk, if you don't mind," she said. She left the shop and turned right, headed deeper into Diagon Alley. The sky had clouded over a bit now, and it looked as though it might rain. There was a café a ways down that Ginny had always wanted to try, but she wasn't sure if the weather would hold until she got there. When she felt the first drops of rain on her face, she made a split-second decision, and dodged into a small store a few buildings down.

"Well, well… look what's washed up on our doorstep, Fred!"

"Ginny! Fantastic! I was _just _about to test these new – " Ginny groaned.

"Save it, Fred. I'm only here for lunch. Which will _not _include any of those, thank you very much…" she gestured towards whatever Fred was waving cheerily at her.

It was only the third or fourth time she'd been inside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Inc., although it felt very familiar. Ginny supposed it was because the place resembled the boys' room at the Burrow quite a bit. Cauldrons and tubes were bubbling, sparking, fizzing, sizzling, smoking, whirring, and popping all over the place, and shelves were crammed full of oddly-shaped and colored objects. There were two levels to the room – the second opening out onto a balcony, which Fred was currently leaning over.

"You _are _going to eat lunch, aren't you?"

"Yeah, sure. Now's as good a time as any," George shrugged, and flicked his wand at the door, where a big red '**CLOSED. GO AWAY.' **appeared.

****

"_So." _Fred bounded down the stairs and pulled up a stool right in front of Ginny.

"…so?"

"Work!"

"How is it?" George asked.

"Kind of slow so far, but I think I'm really going to enjoy it. Can we _please _eat? I'm really hungry!" Fred rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright… don't get your knickers in a twist – ugh. I can't believe I just said that to my sister…"


End file.
